The Obsidian Wars Part 2: The Star of Rosskarn
by AndrewK9000
Summary: Raven, Apple and the others journey to Monster High to continue the struggle against Obsidian. Draculaura has been brainwashed by Valentine and both are working with Obsidian to obtain a powerful magical artifact that, in the wrong hands, could destroy all of creation. Will our heroes from many worlds stop this insidious plot? And what of the other vile plans against our heroes?
1. Prolog: The Darkness Gathers

_Greetings fellow readers and writers! You are about to experience the second part of The Obsidian Wars and I hope you like it! I confess, it's been a long time coming, I have my reasons for waiting so long and I apologize for the wait. I had originally planned to start posting much earlier this year but what with a lot of personal issues in my life, I hadn't had time to write. I was also discouraged from writing this story due to the fact that not only was Ever After High put on indefinite hiatus if not outright canceled, I also didn't like the new Monster High movies that much. All in all, it has been a rather uninspiring several months. Nevertheless, I'm back in the groove and hopefully will deliver a fantastic tale to tell._

 _Okay, last time we were in the world of Ever After High where Apple White, Raven Queen and their fairytale friends, along with Avery Manning and his fellow Riders recruited by The Alabaster Council, were celebrating their victory over the forces of The Obsidian Council, only for Frankie Stein to arrive via portal with dire news from Monster High. Now the story continues as Frankie begs her friend C.A. Cupid to come home to put right a great wrong._

 _This time around, not only will we be crossing Ever After High with Monster High, as well as elements from Kamen Rider Kabuto, there'll also be elements from Kamen Rider 555 and Kiva. There'll be references and elements from other Rider shows, as well as references to other things that will be made clear as the story progresses._

 _As usual, everything in this story, sans the story itself and my original characters, belong to their respective owners, so please don't sue me, I'm only trying to tell what will surely amount to a fantastic tale._

 _Again as usual, there'll be those who don't like the story, while there'll be those whom downright hate it. That's your prerogative, but please don't hammer we with overly negative reviews. Just remember…_ _ **THIS IS FANFICTION!**_ _  
And now, without further delay, the story begins!_

 **Prolog: The Darkness Gathers**

Beneath flashing and crashing thunderclouds lay a desolate mountain, atop which stood a derelict castle that, to the casual passerby, was completely abandoned. That is, assuming any casual passersby were in the area, for if there were, they wouldn't have lived to tell the tale.

The area for miles around the castle was guarded by hundreds of, at first glance, ordinary men and women. Yet closer inspection would reveal that these people were not your average Normies. Each one was a cold blooded killer whom wouldn't hesitate a millisecond over murdering any human whom dared to trespass, while also wouldn't think twice about taking innocent lives elsewhere.

Even closer inspection revealed that the homicidal guards, while integrated into a unified force of evil and death, were in essence divided by attire and fashion statements. One half wore various shades of gray in sensible, casual clothes, while the women among them wore little if any makeup.

On the other hand, there was the outlandishly attired half whom wore colors that were, more often than not, almost assaulted the eye, while also decking themselves in bizarre and often impractical accessories and makeup.

While the two groups were united under a common, dark purpose, the individuals of the two sects bore little, if any, respect for each other and only grudgingly worked together because they were ordered to do so by their superiors. Nothing would make the gray-clad group happy than to vent their frustrations on their counterparts, while the feeling was mutual for the outlandishly attired.

Yet they held their tempers in check, the two dark groups, knowing full well that to give in to their mutual mistrust and loathing would bring down the wrath of their superiors, as well as the wrath of the man responsible for bringing them together in the first place.

The man in question wasn't so much a man but a monster in human form. Atop the tallest tower in the derelict castle stood that very man. He was of average height with short, slightly balding black hair and gray eyes behind glasses, wearing a black business suit and tie that failed to hide the slight bulge in his waist. Yet despite his seemingly ordinary appearance, this was not a man to be underestimated, for Irvin U. Weis, proxy for The Obsidian Council, was in a very bad mood, the boiling thunderclouds overhead giving testament to his dark prowess.

Currently, Irvin was gripping the stone railing of the tower balcony hard enough to crack the masonry, his gray eyes burning with cold fury at the gathered individuals sitting around a conference table behind him. On one side of the table were three of the gray-clad, two men and a woman, while on the other side were two men and a woman in outlandish getups. Also at the table were two individuals in black robes.

"All I've asked of you people is not to disappoint me," said Irvin as he kept his back to the table, "just do your jobs and show successful results. That's all I ask, that's all Obsidian asks."

Irvin then turned around and glared at the gathered at those in gray and in outlandish colors, "and yet you _Kaijin_ are nothing but miserable failures! Why is it that I wind up with the most incompetent of Dai-Shocker's abominations, while that flamboyant fop, Cuthbert, he gets to utilize The Worms!?"

"With all due respect, Mr. Weis," says one of the gray-clad men, "we Orphnochs are vastly superior to those shuffling buffoons, The Worms."

"Whereas we Fangire are vastly superior to you Orphnochs any day of the week," says one of the outlandishly clad men in a smug, snobbish manner.

"Oh yes, the aristocratic _Kaijin_ ," says the other gray-clad man, "thank you so much for showing all of us how utterly incompetent you flamboyant fools are!"

"And such fragile fools they are," said the gray-clad woman, "tell me, how many of your kind were recently shattered beyond repair?"

"How many of your lackluster camp has turned to dust?" asked the outlandishly dressed woman, "how many of your kind was destroyed by Faiz?"

"Not as many as your kind were destroyed by Kiva!" snapped one of the gray-clad men, "which goes to show that we Orphnoch are tougher than Fangire!"

"At least we Fangire are gifted with immortality," said one of the outlandishly dressed men, "where as you Orphnoch, you'll be lucky to live out a full ten years!"

"You want to make this personal!?" exclaimed the other gray-clan men as he and his compatriots stood up, their skin glowing with lines of energy that formed animal-like patterns.

"We accept your invitation!" said the other outlandishly dressed man as he and his cohorts stood up, their skin glowing with multi-colored patterns that resembled stain glass.

"Gentlemen! Ladies!" said one of the black-robed individuals, "this is hardly the time and place to resort to fisticuffs!"

"At last the dark magic users speak," says the gray-clad woman, "and just what have you and yours been doing to alleviate the situation!? What have you Shadow Acolytes been doing while our comrades are being slaughtered by those disgusting teenage Monster and their Rider allies!?"

"We've been following our orders from Obsidian," said the other black-robed individual, "as well all have."

"Obsidian be damned!" snapped one of the outlandishly-dressed men, "this alliance was a bad idea to begin with! Dai-Shocker is for Dai-Shocker!"

"Whereas us _Kaijin_ should be for us _Kaijin_!" said one of the gray-clad men, "no mixing of the species!"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Irvin with enough force to make the tower tremble with enough force to make the arguing individuals nearly lose their balance. The Fangire and Orphnoch then calmed down as their skin cleared of the energy lines and they sat down.

"I have had it up to my neck with you idiots!" said Irvin, "if you can't get along long enough to get the job done, I'll find others to lead your groups! Others whom at least know the definition of the word 'cooperation!'"

"We are well aware of the essentiality of cooperation, Mr. Weis," said one of the black-robed individuals, the Shadow Acolytes, "this operation is one which The Obsidian Council is gambling towards the acceleration of _Kralizec_."

"The Obsidian Council never gambles," said Irvin coldly, "Nor are they known for making mistakes. Or rather, they quickly correct their mistakes, often at the liquidation of those responsible for those mistakes, and such painful and lingering liquidations they are."

"Well, what can we do!?" exclaimed one of the Fangire.

"You can act like professionals, that's what!" snapped Irvin.

"We tried that," said one of the Orphnoch, "and what has that gotten us? We only have one of the pieces of The Star, while those wretched, do-gooder Monsters have the other!"

"Correction, we have two, remember?" said a Southern accent with a flair of aristocracy from the doorway inside the tower. There stood a vampire dressed like a well-dressed nobleman from the late 18th Century with shaggy brown and red hair with bright pink eyes, looking like he had every reason in the world to be smug about something big.

"To be specific," said the vampire, "We have one, whereas the second is locked in Headmistress Bloodgood's vault at Monster High, a fact we shall soon remedy."

"Well, about time you showed up," said one of the Fangire.

"Too busy plugging your new girlfriend?" one of the Orphnochs asked, "oh, sorry, I meant your old girlfriend."

"What I and my renewed paramour do in our spare time is our business and no one else's," said the vampire as he sauntered in, "though I were one to brag, which I'm not, let's just say that our spare time is well occupied."

"Enough with the posturing, Valentine," said Irvin irately, "you were saying on the pieces of The Star?"

"Yes, about that little old Star," said Valentine as he walked over to the table, "we do indeed have one piece, while the one my lovely paramour so graciously found before coming around to our way of reasoning is locked in Bloodgood's vault. And she's determined that the third piece is indeed with that irritatingly cute Frankie Stein and her friends, they just don't know it yet. But they will, my friends, they will."

"Make sense already, you pompous poser!" snapped the Orphnoch woman.

"I thought I was making sense," said a mildly surprised Valentine, "well, allow me to make it even more sensible; our opponents are unaware that they've been sitting on the third piece of The Star of Rosskarn all along."

"Of course!" said a viciously smiling Irvin, "the third piece is at Monster High! With the third piece, we can finally begin searching for the remaining six!"

"There's just one problem to that, Mr. Weis," said one of the Fangire, "Monster High has its own defenses against hostile intruders. Twice already we Fangire attempted to penetrate those walls to no avail."

"Likewise for us Orphnoch," said the gray-clad woman, "but if the third piece is indeed somewhere in Monster High, then we Orphnoch will get it, no matter the cost!"

"Over our immortal bodies!" snapped the female Fangire, "if any _Kaijin_ has the right to lay claim to the third piece, it shall be a Fangire!"

"As if you can sneak into Monster High undetected with that getup!" said the female Orphnoch.

"Where as you couldn't blend in with the sidewalk!" snapped one of the male Fangire. At which both sets of Kaijin stood up, their skin glowing with their respective energy lines as they got ready to fight again.

But then they heard Valentine laughing, causing the Kaijin to lose their concentration and look at the vampire.

"No wonder you lot keep getting destroyed," laughed Valentine, "you're so eager to destroy each other, you leave nothing for the enemy!"

"And you think you can do better?!" one of the male Fangire asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Valentine, "but that's not important right now. What is important is that we have two pieces of The Star, the brats from Monster High have a third, while six more lay unaccounted for."

"We already established that!" snapped Irvin, "And yet you all were countered by a gaggle of teenagers! The Obsidian Council has little if any tolerance for failure!"

"Another fact already established," said Valentine, "but be at ease, my dear Mr. Weis. The progress already made has given us some leeway with The Obsidian Council. After all, I am the one who destroyed that meddling half-breed, and acquired a piece of The Star."

"Is that all you've done!?" snapped the female Orphnoch, "while so many of our brothers and sisters have been destroyed!?"

"We're doing all the real fighting and have many of us have paid the ultimate price!" said the female Fangire, "just what have you been up to that's so important!?"

"Why, orchestrating the capture of Monster High itself," said Valentine.

It was then the female Fangire's turn to laugh, only this was a derisive laugh, "as if you could capture Monster High, Valentine."

"That's _Lord_ Valentine to you!" said a mildly irate female vampire with a Romanian accent. She stood at the doorway dressed in a black dress that brought out the more sensual features of her body, black high-heeled shoes, black makeup and accessories, while the dress itself was covered in sequences that sparkled with every flash of lightning overhead. She had pale-pink skin and a cold yet seductive smile, while her eyes were blood read.

"Ah, Lady Draculaura," said Irvin in a genuinely pleased tone as the female vampire sauntered over, "how delightful to see you again," he then politely took and kissed her outstretched hand.

"Charming as always, Mr. Weis," said Draculaura, "and yet you are so tense, so overwrought. You really must try to relax more."

"I would if I had more competent allies," said Irvin.

"If wishes were Pegasus," said Valentine in an offhanded manner, "nevertheless," he then walked over to Draculaura and took her hands in his, "we must carry on with what we have, while taking advantage of anything better that comes along."

"Then would you care to enlighten us as to how you're going to capture Monster High?" asked one of the male Orphnoch.

"Well, it's not so much as my plan, per say," remarked Valentine, "but rather one belonging to the lovely Lady Draculaura. Would you be a gem, dearest, and explain to our fiendish friends?"

"It's a rather simple and straightforward plan," said Draculaura, "entailing nothing less than the capture and domination of Monster High. Oh, but you tell it so well, darling," said Draculaura to Valentine, "do tell, I insist."

"If you insist," said Valentine as he and Draculaura embraced and kissed with wicked passion, "I can never refuse you anything," with that they kissed again.

"I think I'm going to be sick," remarked the female Fangire irately, while the two male Fangire looked equally disgusted and disgruntled.

"If you two are done with your public displays of affection," said a annoyed Irvin, "I was just about to unveil my own plan to take over Monster High, when you two so graciously barged in on my meeting!"

"Oh, by all means, do tell yours as well," said Valentine, "I'm sure it's charming."

"Mr. Weis's plan is probably the same as yours," said one of the Fangire, "attack Monster High, overwhelm the defenses, take hostages and demand the return of Obsidian's property."

"It's more complicated than that," said Irvin, "but in essence, yes." He then glared at Valentine and Draculaura, "you have something else in mind?"

"No, we pretty much had the same plan," said Draculaura.

"Attack Monster High, take hostages and get the Star piece back," said Valentine, "but our plan involves something else, something special, something we need time to acquire."

"So, would you be a dear, Mr. Weis," said Draculaura, "and wait on your plan while Valentine and I find and return with what we need? Of course you would, we're all on the same side, aren't we?"

"I love the way you take control of the situation," said Valentine. With that he and Draculaura embraced and kissed lustfully.

"Now I'm going to be sick," said the male Orphnoch.

"I suppose I can wait until you are ready," said Irvin, "but don't delay too long. I have little patience, while The Obsidian Council has even less."

"We won't be long," said Draculaura, "won't we, darling?"

"Of course not," said Valentine, "we wouldn't want to disappoint your former friends who so miss you, especially that werewolf who had it so bad for you. Now what was his name? Claudius? Christopher? Oh, right, Clawd."

"That dog?" asked a disgusted Draculaura as the vile pair walked out of the room, "remind me to have him fixed the next time I see him."

"Insufferable twits," said an irate Irvin once the two vampires were out of earshot, "I should have had both of them staked when I had the chance." He then looked at the assembled Orphnochs and Fangire, "I don't give a flying frak about your grievances with each other! You will cooperate on this assignment, or I'll have you all liquidated! Obsidian has little patience for delays, but even less for uncooperative Kaijin! Is that understood!"

"YES, MR. WEIS!" said the assembled _Kaijin_.


	2. Chapter 1: Switching Schools

_**The Obsidian Wars**_

 _ **Part 2: The Star of Rosskarn**_

 _ **By AndrewK9000**_

 **Chapter 1: Switching Schools**

"Whoa, hold on, Frankie!" exclaimed Cupid, "what emergency!"

"Valentine's back!" said Frankie, "he's kidnapped and brainwashed Draculaura into loving him and hating Clawd and everyone else, and now they're planning on destroying the world! You've gotta come back and help set things right!"

At that Cupid looked angry enough to punch a hole in the wall, "that heartbreaking playboy of a vamp thinks he can turn Draculaura against her friends and loved ones?! Not on my watch!" she then looked at Tobias, Raven, Apple and the others, "come on, everyone! We're going to Monster High!"

"Whoa, hold it!" said Raven as she walked over, followed by Apple, Briar, Avery, Dexter and Maddie, "mind telling us who your friend is, Cupid?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry," said Cupid, "everyone, this is Frankie Stein, one of my friends from my old school. Frankie, these are my friends from my new school, mostly."

"Oh, that's right," said Frankie, "you did transfer. You can tell me and the others about it later, we have to go now before the portal closes up."

" _You_ opened a portal?" Dorothea asked as she examined the portal, "looks stable to me." But then the portal began to shrink by a few millimeters, "oh, right, my mistake."

"Apparently time is of the essence," said Tobias, "so, are we going or not?"

"Of course we're going," said Cupid, "Oh, Frankie? This is Tobias, he's my special someone."

"You've got a boyfriend now?" Frankie asked as she smiled happily, "that's so voltagious, but we really need to get going or I'll be stuck here for a few days."

"That portal is definitely closing," said Madison as she examined the shrinking opening in time and space.

"Then let's go already!" said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked with urgency. She then hurried back to the portal and stepped through, followed by Cupid and Tobias.

"What now?" Apple asked.

"Go after them, of course," said Raven confidently as she started towards the portal.

"What?! NO!" shouted Dexter, "Raven, you can't!"

"You're still recovering from all the stress from battling Obsidian," said Apple, "Dr. Anderson specifically told you to take it easy."

"I am taking it easy," said Raven, "I'm going to help one of my friends help another friend in trouble. It's not like I'll be battling Cuthbert all over again, right?" With that she stepped through the portal.

"Is it me or has everything that's happened made Raven a bit more reckless?" Cerise asked.

"There's the understatement of the macrosecond," said Maddie, "wait up, Raven! Peas and Crackers! You can't go on an adventure without me! Who'll pour the tea!?" with that she rushed into the portal.

"Those two are pretty much inseparable," said Apple as she walked towards the portal.

"Whoa! Negative! Negative!" shouted Madison as she, Ashlynn, Hunter, Briar, Daring and Cerise, stepped forward, ready to rush in and pull Apple away from the portal, "no way are you going! Not after the hell we've all been through to keep you alive."

"You're still pretty much at the top of Obsidian's hit list, Apple," said Briar.

"Ophelia's still alive somewhere," said Lucian, "and who knows how many more proxy allies she has with Obsidian?"

"Someone's gotta take care of her," said Lilia as she mimed aiming and pulling the trigger of a gun.

"I thought you two were gonna go wherever the wind takes you," said Ashlynn.

"Yes, but upon careful consideration," said Lilia, "my brother and I decided not to leave that particular lose end untied."

"We'd love to sit and discuss our future plans," said Lucian, "but I believe some of you still have a portal to catch."

"Oh man!" exclaimed Dexter as he saw that the portal was only seconds away from closing up. "Hold on, Raven! I'm coming!" with that he ran into the portal.

"Well, go on already," said Daring to Apple and Avery, "someone's gotta keep Dexter and the others out of trouble."

"More like Apple's keeping them out of trouble and Avery keeps Apple out of trouble," said Lizzie, "while all of you, be careful. We won the battle, but the war is far from over."

"We know," said Avery.

"Briar," said Apple, "until we get back, you, Hunter and Ashlynn are in charge."

"Who made you the leader?" Madison teased, "and what am I? Chopped liver?"

"We'll be fine, Apple," said Briar, "go have fun."

"Just be careful!" said Cedar

"And don't do anything I wouldn't do," teased Kitty.

"We'll keep that in mind," said Avery. He then looked at Apple, "you ready?'

"For an adventure? Yes," said a warmly smiling Apple. With that she and Avery stepped through the portal hand in hand, just as it closed up.

"We're never gonna have normal lives again, aren't we," sighed Hunter.

"Since when have our lives been at all normal?" Ashlynn asked.

"Normal or not," said Blondie, "our lives are just right."

"I just hope we can keep them that way," said Briar, "and…" but then Briar stooped talking and remained still, her eyes unfocused, a distant look on her face.

"Uh…Briar?" asked Ashlynn as she waved her hand in front of Briar's face, "Briar?"

"Dude, I think she's broken," said Humphrey Dumpty.

"She's not broken," said Duchess, "she's just pulling our feathers. Well, it's not funny, Briar!" She then walked up to Briar and snapped her fingers in front of her eyes, "okay, joke's, over, Briar! Stop it!"

"She's not faking it," said Dorothea, "she's having her epiphany.

"What epiphany?" Sparrow asked.

"The one with Alabaster," said Madison, "my friends, I believe a new Rider is being chosen.

* * *

Emerging from the Portal, Apple and Avery found themselves in an enormous underground chamber filled with technological devices that would fit right in with the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne.

"Either we've arrived in a steam punk's dream come true," said Avery, "or…"

"Or you're in the workshop of one Hexiciah Steam, my father," said Robecca Steam as she walked towards Avery and Apple, "welcome to Monster High."

"Uh…thank you," said Apple in a slightly nervous tone as she shook Robecca's hand, "you…you're…"

"Not human, no," said Robecca as she smiled in an understanding manner.

"You're gonna find that a lot of my friends here aren't human," said Cupid.

"Uh…" said Apple as she looked at Cupid, who's appearance had drastically changed, "are you alright, Cupid?"

"At least _you_ didn't think you've lost your mind," said Raven.

"Or found yours," said Maddie.

"So, this is your true from?" Tobias asked as he looked Cupid.

"Yep, this is what I look like here," said Cupid, "I know, I'm a freak, right?"

"I never said anything of the sort!" exclaimed Tobias, "I was just…startled that you can change your appearance so easily."

"It's way complicated," said Cupid, "but trust me, I'm still me."

"Do all demigods change appearances when they cross realms?" Tobias asked.

"Who cares what demigods can do?" Dexter asked as he looked around at the various devices in the workshop, "I'm afraid to touch anything here."

"We still don't know what half of my father's inventions do," said Robecca, "but he left a lot of notes and journals, and we've had only a few accidents, and none of them fatal."

"That's not very assuring," said Apple.

"We've learned not to let any of the more troublesome students into the lab," said Robecca Steam, "But that's another gear in the works altogether. Cupid, I believe there's more than a few Monsters here whom wish to welcome you home."

"And a few new friends to introduce to the old," said Cupid, "Apple, Raven, Dexter, Maddie, Tobias, Avery, these are The Ghoulfriends."

One by one Cupid introduced her friends from both schools to each other. Raven and the others met with Clawdeen Wolf, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Abbey Bominable and Ghoulia Yelps, with promises to meet up with more later.

Yet closer inspection revealed that these Monsters had been through rough times lately. Clawdeen had both her hands bandaged and her fingers in splints. Cleo's right forearm was in a cast, while Lagoona had a black eye and Abbey's left leg was in a walking cast.

"I can't believe my eyes," said an astonished Cleo as she looked at Apple, "are you truly Snow White?"

"I am," said Apple confidently, "the newest one anyway. But a lot has happened lately, so in a way, I am and am not Snow White. I'm my own character now; free to be the best princess and future queen I can be, while also following my ambition to become a doctor."

"By the Nile itself!" said Cleo, "imagine, a fairytale princess as a doctor? Wouldn't that be a rather…messy occupation?"

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little highlighted head about dear old Apple," said Maddie as she sat down in one of several nearby chairs and pulled out her faithful teapot from her hat, "a little blood, guts and gore wouldn't frighten her."

"And we've seen more than our fair share of blood in the past few weeks," said Dexter.

At that Ghoulia moaned something in the form of a question.

"She wants to know whose story do you belong to," said Cleo.

"Uh…that's complicated," said a slightly nervous Dexter.

"He's his own character," said Raven boldly as she stood next to Dexter and leaned on his shoulder, "he's his own hero and my boyfriend, and before you ask, I was supposed to be The Evil Queen, but that script was flipped a long time ago."

"No way," said Lagoona, "no way such a fantastic dame such as yourself is evil."

"But evil is in the blood," said Abbey, "you come from long line of evildoers but you fight it. You make yourself good and therefore _is_ good."

"Uh…yeah," said Raven.

"But what story do you two interesting Normies belong to?" Cleo asked as she looked at Avery and Tobias.

"The story that's being written as we speak," said Tobias, "the story of life."

"Our background can wait," said Avery.

"Well, there's no guessing which story you come from," said Clawdeen as she looked at Maddie, "you're from Wonderland."

"Born, bread and buttered!" said Maddie happily as she pulled out several cups from her hat, "now, why don't we all sit down over tea while we get up to speed on what's going on here?"

"How'd you know I was about to explain what's going on?" Frankie asked.

"Oh, my friend the narrator told me," said Maddie offhandedly, "isn't that right, Mr. AndrewK9000?"

 _Oh, no! Not again! Please, we just got started!_

"But I am right, right?" Maddie asked.

"Uh…is she okay?" a worried Lagoona asked.

"Don't worry about Maddie," said Raven, "she does that sometimes. Now, why did you want Cupid to come back so quickly?"

"Well, aside from the major emergency of Draculaura turning to the dark side and the coming apocalypse she and Valentine want to bring about," said Frankie, "no rush there…"

"She means that the device we used to open the portal to Ever After," said Robecca.

"Oh, yeah, I knew that," said Frankie as she laughed it off, "okay, about that, the portal machine requires an enormous amount of voltage. Seriously, it takes three days to charge up enough electricity to open the portal and keep it open for like three minutes."

"Wait, does that mean we're stuck here for three days?" Dexter asked as he looked at the machine that brought him, Raven and the others across worlds. Said device was in fact two electrical pylons spaced several paces apart on a metal platform, connected via wires and cables to a massive generator-type construct that was wired to a modern laptop.

"More or less," said Robecca, "Ghoulia, Jackson and I are still fine tuning the systems and may be able to open it sooner. Remember, everything you see in this workshop," she indicated the devices created by Hexiciah Steam, "were all put on the drawing board decades before your grandparents were born."

"That old, huh?" Avery asked as he walked closer to a device that had a large focusing mirror set into it.

"NOT THAT ONE!" exclaimed Frankie as she and Robecca pulled Avery away from the device, "believe me, we've had more than enough trouble from that one."

"Trust me, you don't want to know how much trouble a time portal generator can cause," said Robecca.

"You've got a dimensional portal _and_ a time portal?" an intrigued Dexter asked.

"Yes, and we're staying away from the time portal," said Clawdeen, "Frankie almost died because of that thing."

"You what?!" exclaimed Cupid.

"Long story," said a modestly embarrassed Frankie, "now about Draculaura."

"Yeah, what about her?" an impatient Cupid asked, "What in the name of Olympus, Tarturus and all realms between did Valentine do to Draculaura to make her fall for him?"

"Well, it's a long story," sighed Frankie, "so you'd all better get comfortable, 'cause it's a dozy."

"Before you start, Frankie, I have to ask," said Cleo as she and the others sat down. She then looked at Avery and Tobias, "by any chance are you two Riders?"

"What makes you believe that?" Avery asked suspiciously.

"Call it woman's intuition," said Cleo, "call it divine inspiration, call it what you will, but I am right."

"Indeed you are," said Avery as Kabuto Zecter appeared from a small portal and landed on his shoulder, while Sasword Zecter scurried up to Tobias.

"I'm a Rider too," said Dexter as Gatack Zecter appeared on his right shoulder, "but how do you know about Riders?"

"We've got Riders working with us to try and save Draculaura and stop Valentine," said Lagoona, "but so far those blokes and the rest of us, we're barely holding our own against Obsidian."

"Obsidian, I should have known," said an annoyed Raven, "okay, so, what is it this time?"

"Well," said Frankie, "it's a long story, and it all started the day I bought my first car a few weeks back."

"You've got a car now?" Cupid asked in an intrigued tone, "fangtastic! What kind of car?"

"The best," said Frankie, she then eyed her friends in an annoyed manner, "though clearly _some_ people, whom shall remain nameless, don't know a voltagious thing when they see it."

"Oh my Ra! Here we go again," sighed an exasperated Cleo, while Clawdeen and the other Ghoulfriends looks equally frustrated.

"How many ways must we say that car is no good, Frankie?" asked Abbey.

"That jalopy of yours is a lost cause, Frankie," said Lagoona.

"Just because you don't believe in Hector, doesn't mean I have to give up on him!" said Frankie irately. "And Hector's running perfectly fine now."

"Yeah, but for how long?" asked Lagoona.

"Who's Hector?" Cupid asked, "I thought you and Andy Beast were a thing."

"We're still good friends, Andy and I," said Frankie, "but that's not important right now."

"Nope, she's now crushing on Neightan," said Clawdeen in a teasing manner.

"Who?" Cupid asked.

At that Ghoulia moaned something in an impatient tone.

"Ghoulia's right, we're overloading Cupid with too much info," said Lagoona.

"We'll introduce you to all the new students at MH later, Cupid," said Cleo, "but first things first. Frankie, please start at the beginning."

"Alright," said Frankie, "like I said, it all started the day I bought my first car. While I was at the dealership, a chain of events had started in Monster High that would lead all of us to the sticky situation we're all in."

"Valentine showed up at school and brainwashed Draculaura?" Cupid asked.

"No, that happens later," said Frankie, "you see, while I was buying my car, Operetta asked everyone to meet with her privately in an empty classroom. Everything was okay, except that Draculaura was wearing a new necklace. And it's that necklace that really started this whole mess…"

* * *

 _… **Monster High…A Few Weeks Ago…**_

"Oh My Ra, Draculaura! Where did you get that necklace?!" exclaimed Cleo as she, Ghoulia, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Abbey and Robecca, met up in an empty classroom. Also with them was Rochelle Goyle, Venus McFlytrap, Jackson Jeckyl, Deuce Gorgon, Gil Webber, Clawd and Howleen Wolf.

"Do you like it?" Draculaura asked as she held up said necklace, a multi-colored array of gems set into gold links, with a marble-sized diamond as the center piece.

"'Do I like it?' Of course I like it!" said Cleo, "you must tell me where you got it!"

"I'll betcha Clawd bought it," said Lagoona to Gil.

"Are you kidding me?" Gil asked, "that thing must have cost a fortune."

"He probably dug it up somewhere," said Venus, "maybe out of some crypt or tomb or something."

"Not an Egyptian tomb I hope!" said a dramatically offended Cleo, "he would never had made it out of the old county if he was inflicted by The Pharaoh's Curse."

"As much as my big brother would like to take credit for the necklace," said Howleen, "he didn't give it to Draculaura."

"I found it!" said Draculaura cheerfully.

"She did," said Clawd.

"Oh really?" Abbey asked, "where? At Maul discount sale?"

"Actually, I found it in the woods," said Draculaura, "Clawd and I were playing fetch. I lost the ball and fell down a sinkhole."

"You didn't!" exclaimed Lagoona.

"Why didn't you call one of us, for Gaia's sake!?" exclaimed Venus.

"Because I pulled her right out," said Clawd.

"I sincerely hope you did," said Clawdeen in an accusing manner.

"I'm fine, everyone, seriously," said Draculaura, "anyway, Clawd pulled me out, but then something caught my eye in the moonlight. Clawd lowered me back down," she then fingered her necklace, "and then I found this."

"That's some lucky find," said Jackson as Draculaura held the necklace up for everyone to get a closer look, "it must be beyond priceless."

"I already said it was worth a fortune," said Gil.

"But where did it come from?" Rochelle asked.

"And how'd it get buried out in the woods?" Robecca asked.

"It ain't Greek, I can tell you that," said Deuce.

"And it's not Egyptian," said Cleo, "in fact…" she then pulled out a jeweler's loop from her purse and used it to examine the gems on the necklace, "in fact, I have no idea where this came from, and I can identify the origin of most jewelry in the world."

"Well, wherever it came from," said Draculaura, "I'm glad I found it. You know what, call me crazy, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I was drawn to it, that I was destined to find this necklace. Crazy, right?"

"More like just plain darn lucky," said Operetta as she walked into the classroom, "where's Frankie?"

"Good question," said Clawdeen as she pulled out her iCoffin and sent Frankie a text. She got a response a few seconds later, "she says she's got a surprise for all of us and should be back here in an hour or so."

"Well, that's just dandy," said an annoyed Operetta, "here I am, arranging a big sit down with ya'll to discuss something big and Frankie's off doing who knows what? Well, Frankie's just going to have to miss out on it, that's what."

"Now hold on, Operetta," said Lagoona, "you can't just brush Frankie off like raindrops on your shoulder. She's as much a part of…whatever you're planning, as we are."

"Just what are you planning?" Deuce asked.

"And will it be fun?" Toralei asked as she leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed, "I won't be involved if it's going to be boring."

"Who invited you to this little cadre?" an annoyed Cleo asked as she, Draculaura and the others looked at Toralei with suspicious eyes.

"I did," said Operetta, "and before ya'll get your eyes crossed and all that, Toralei's supposed to play a big part in my 'lil enterprise, just as ya'll will. Now come on in and I'll get things started."

"This had better be good, Operetta," said Clawdeen, "because if you expect me to work together with Toralei, then…"

"Hey, I'm not looking forward to working with you either," said Toralei as she sat down in one of the chairs, "so let's just hear Operetta out already so we can get on with our lives."

"For once we are in agreement, Toralei," said Cleo as she and Deuce sat down, followed by Clawd, Draculaura and the others, with only Clawdeen still standing.

"Alright," said Clawdeen as she finally sat down, "but I'm keeping an eye on you, Toralei."

"Likewise," said Toralei as she licked her paw and then wiped a stray lock of her hair into place.

"Alright, then," said Operetta, "let's get down to the nitty gritty! I'm sure ya'll wondering why I asked you to meet me here during a free period on a Friday, right?"

"It did cross our minds, mate," said Lagoona.

"Just what are you up to, Operetta?" Howleen asked.

"Something's that's gonna rock Monster High down to the core and back," said Operetta as she grinned, as if she was just about ready to reveal an enormous secret yet wanted to hold on to it just a little bit longer, "any of you familiar with Normie musicals? Specifically those of Andrew Lloyd Webber? No relation to our Gil, of course."

"Uh…no," said Clawdeen, while Lagoona, Cleo and the others all shook their heads or made noises of disagreement.

"Are you kidding?" Jackson asked, "Andrew Lloyd Webber's one of Broadway's greatest! 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,' 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' 'Evita,' 'Phantom of the Opera' for crying out loud!"

"Oh, that guy!" said Clawdeen, while Draculaura and the others nodded their heads and made noises of acknowledgement.

"Wait, are you implying that you wish to put on a Normie musical at Monster High?" Cleo asked.

"You bet your eye shadow I mean it," said Operetta, "got a problem with it?"

"No, no, I'm just surprised, that's all," said Cleo, "I honestly didn't know you liked Normie musicals."

"I like all music," said Operetta, "and this particular musical is one that really touched me, here," she then held her hands over her heart.

"'Phantom?'" asked Jackson, "or is it the sequel, 'Love Never Dies.'"

"If it's not 'Cats,' I'm walking out here and now," said Toralei. She then glared at Jackson, "and how do you know so much about Broadway musicals?"

"How come you know?" Clawdeen asked in a suspiciously teasing manner.

"I've got my hobbies, thank you very much," said Toralei.

"So do I," said Jackson, "there's certain kinds of music that I can listen to without bringing out Holt. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my homework without it."

"I can only imagine what Holt would do if he got his hands on your homework," said Howleen, "so which musical is it, Operetta?"

"'Starlight Express,'" said a warmly smiling Operetta.

"Goodbye," said Toralei abruptly as she stood up and sauntered towards the door.

"Get your troublesome tail back here and sit down!" snapped Operetta as she stood up, her voice resonating with anger at such a frequency that sent the chairs and a lot of lose objects in the room vibrating.

"Or what?!" asked Toralei as she turned around and glared at Operetta, the hackles on the back of her neck rising as her claws bared, "you'll use your voice to shatter my eardrums? No one tells me what to do!"

At that Clawdeen and the others tensed up. A lot of the Ghoulfriends and the boys wanted to stop the ensuing fight before it really started, but the tension between Toralei and Operetta was so enthralling, they couldn't move for fear of missing whatever happened next.

But what Operetta did next was took everyone completely by surprise, "actually, I was about to offer you a major role in the production." This caused Toralei and everyone else to nearly lose balance and fall over.

"Are you out of your Rockabilly mind?!" exclaimed Clawdeen as she and the others recovered, "you want Toralei to be in your play?!"

"She'll either ruin it for fun or be such a prima donna," said Cleo, "none of us will be able to get anything done."

"She won't be that big a pain, I promise you that," said Operetta, "but the actual casting can wait a bit. Now, here's a lil' exposition for those who don't know what Starlight Express is all about."

At that Operetta went on, explaining how Andrew Lloyd Webber originally wanted to produce a stage adaptation of 'Thomas the Tank Engine,' but was denied the rights by the owners of the franchise. Instead, Webber came up with a 'Cinderella' story with toy trains as the characters, with all the actors on roller skates and a wide variety of music for the score.

"Well, we don't have to worry about the roller skating," said Lagoona.

"Not after all the SCREAM we've been doing," said Deuce, at which he and Clawd high-fived.

"You'd be surprised how hard a production Starlight Express is," said Jackson, "don't get me wrong, I've seen you all at Skulltimate Roller Maze and you guys are great, but can you dance on roller skates? And can you sing while roller skating?"

"Uh…no," said Clawd, while Deuce and the others shook their heads.

"It's harder than you can imagine," said Operetta, "but once you've got the choreography and lyrics down, it all fits together."

"Sounds like a load of hairballs," said Toralei offhandedly, "I mean, seriously, what kind of show has toy trains on roller skates?"

"The kind that became the longest running production at West End and did pretty well on Broadway," said Operetta, "this is something that'll be beautiful, artistic and overall clawsome if we can pull it off. I already talked with Headmistress Bloodgood; if I can get the cast and crew together, she can arrange the production costs."

"So to make this happen, we need to decide who does what in the play?" Howleen asked.

"I call costume management!" said Clawdeen eagerly.

"Assistant costume manager!" said Draculaura eagerly as she stood up and waved her hand, "and I can handle the makeup department! Oh! We can get Viperine to help too!"

"I figured you two'd want that," said Operetta, "and I meant to call Viperine. Moving on, Robecca, you can be the skating and choreographic coach, while Ghoulia can handle the technical and visual effects."

"On it," said Robecca, while Ghoulia moaned affirmatively and gave the thumbs up.

"What does that make you, Operetta?" Cleo asked, "let me guess, you're the director."

"And music supervisor," said Operetta, "this is my production, after all. As for the actual cast, I've got a few ideas on the tip of my tongue. Deuce…"

"Uh…no thanks," said Deuce, "this dude here, he ain't going on stage, not unless I can wear my shades."

"Yeah, it'd be really embarrassing if he were to petrify someone as soon as the curtain goes up," said Cleo.

"There's no curtain in this play," said Operetta, "and he can keep his sunglasses on, most of the time, we'll figure it out. Anyway, Deuce, I believe you're just perfect to play Greaseball; the diesel locomotive and reigning champion who'll do anything to stay the champion, even so far as cheating and breaking up with his girlfriend.

"Speaking of which, I think that with a little effort and a lot of training, Cleo would be perfect to play Dinah, the dining car."

"Are you sure?" Lagoona asked as she looked up from her iCoffin, having researched the synopsis for Starlight Express online, "that character isn't a role I can picture Cleo in."

"And you're not exactly the best singer in school, Cleo," said Venus, "no offense."

"And you're not the best skater either," said Rochelle, "no offense."

"I can learn how to sing better," said Cleo, "and dance on roller skates."

"Yeah, but Dinah is supposed to be sweet, loving and has a Southern accent," said Draculaura as she looked up from reading the play synopsis online, "and sings a country-western ballad in the second act."

" _Can_ you sing a country-western ballad?" Clawdeen asked.

"Umm…not now, but I can with the right training," said Cleo in a confident tone as she stood up, "I mean, how hard can it be?" she then sang several bars heavily off key, causing everyone in the room to wince.

"Yeah, you're gonna need a lot of work," said Operetta.

"Better get Catty Noir to pinch hit on this," said Lagoona.

"And Casta Fierce just to be safe," said Venus.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, ghoul friends," said an annoyed Cleo as she sat down and crossed her arms, "everyone's a critic."

"We're just saying you shouldn't be disappointed if it doesn't work out," said Lagoona, "so you don't get your heart all wrought out."

"Oh, let her go on," said Toralei, "let her be herself on stage. It'll turn the musical into a comedy."

"Just for that I'll be sure to introduce you to one of my family's more interesting cursed items," said Cleo, "Ghoulia, make a note."

At that Ghoulia moaned in affirmation and wrote a reminder in her phone.

"Moving on," said Operetta, "Clawd…"

"Uh-uh, no way!" said Clawd, "I ain't doing it!"

"I haven't even told you what role I have in mind," said Operetta, "you'll be Electra, the electric locomotive and superstar challenger to the race."

"No thanks," said Clawd stubbornly, "I don't sing."

"Oh, don't be silly, Clawd," said Draculaura, "you sing beautifully."

"Trust me, he's a werewolf version of Bobby Brown," said Howleen.

"But only in the shower," said Clawdeen, "or when he thinks nobody else is listening."

"Oh, you've got stage fright," said Toralei with mischievous glee, "how _purrfectly_ delightful."

"Now we definitely need Catty and Casta's help," said Clawdeen, "if anyone can help Clawd overcome stage fright, it's them."

"Elissabat's been dealing with stage fright since she arrived in Hauntlywood," said Draculaura, "just give me five minutes on the phone and she'll come help."

"No one's coming to help 'cause I'm not doing it!" said Clawd stubbornly.

"Why not?" Gil asked, "are you really that scared of being on stage?"

"Dude, the things I've seen you do would make even the gutsiest Normie back down," said Deuce, "at least read the script when we get it, okay?"

"Would you at least try?" Draculaura asked as she smiled warmly at Clawd, "try? for me?"

"Oh…alright," said Clawd as he relaxed and smiled back, "for you, I'll try."

"Great, can we get on with this already?" a bored Toralei asked.

* * *

 ** _…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop …Present Day…_**

"Yes, can we get on with it already?" Cupid asked.

"This is important, Cupid," said Frankie.

"How do you know? You weren't even there," said Raven.

"We told her what happened after she showed up," said Clawdeen.

"Trust me; it's all important," said Frankie, "anyway, where was I?"

"Operetta was about to tell Toralei what her role was going to be," said Maddie.

"How'd you know that?" Lagoona asked.

"A friend told me," said Maddie.

 _I did not, I haven't even gotten there yet._

"But you will," said Maddie, "you will."

* * *

 _ **…Monster High…A Few Weeks Ago…**_

"So, what role will you cast me as?" Toralei asked sarcastically, "second codpiece?"

At that Jackson laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair.

"What's that about?" Clawdeen asked.

"Sorry," said Jackson as he calmed down, "just, I didn't know you watched Blackadder, Toralei."

"There's a lot about me you don't know," said Toralei, "stuff that I didn't tell Spectra in her exposé on me. Now, if there's no real reason for me to be here, I've got other things to do. Laters!" with that she started for the doorway again.

"Take one more step and you're out of the production!" snapped Operetta, "and you'll never get to be C.B., the Red Caboose."

"What's this now?" an intrigued Toralei asked as she turned around and walked back towards the group.

"Oh, this character is right up your inlet," said an eager Lagoona as she read more of the synopsis, "you get to play a two-faced psycho who delights in causing disasters wherever he goes, or where _she_ goes in this case."

"Now that's more like it," said Toralei as she sat down smiling, "tell me more!"

"You get your own solo number in the first act," said Operetta, "can you sing by the way?"

"Can I sing?" Toralei asked. She then sang a few bars so horribly, it nearly shattered glass.

"Yeah, we're gonna need a lot of help on this," said Clawdeen.

"Well, I think we're off to a good start," said Venus, "but who's going to play Pearl? And what about Rusty; the underdog steam engine."

"That I'm having trouble with," said Operetta, "and I was hoping ya'll had some suggestions for the rest of the cast. But we've got time to figure things out while Headmistress Bloodgood arranges the rights to the play and the funding."

"You know, I just don't know about this, everyone," said Clawd, "I mean, whoever heard of Monsters putting on a Normie musical?"

"Yeah, that has been bothering me a bit, Operetta," said Jackson, "why put on a Normie musical in the first place?"

"Because it's never been done before, that's why," said Operetta, "this is the perfect opportunity to do something beautiful and artistic, and show everyone at Monster High just what we can do."

"We can do this," said Lagoona optimistically, "we can make this happen."

"Well then," said Cleo, "if we're going to make it happen, we've a lot of hard work to do."

Just then Cleo's phone rang with an incoming text, "it's Frankie; she's outside with her surprise."

With that they all hurried outside the school's front doors, yet stopped in their tracks on the front steps as they saw Frankie, eagerly smiling as she leaned against the right side of a green and white convertible that has seen better days.

"Well?" Frankie asked as she waved her hands over her car in a showing off manner, "what do you all think?"

"Uh…think of what, Frankie?" Clawdeen asked as she and the others blinked in confusion.

"Did…did you buy that…that car, Frankie?" Venus asked cautiously as she and the others walked down the steps towards their friend.

"I sure did," said Frankie, "it's a 1971 Cadillac Eldorado, and it's all mine. Well, what do you think?"

At that Cleo, Draculaura, Clawdeen and the others were at a loss for words for several seconds, that is, until Toralei burst out laughing and nearly fell over.

"What?" Frankie asked in a confused and not mildly insulted tone, "what's wrong?"

"Uh…well," said Draculaura hesitantly, "it's just…well…"

"Just…where did you get your… _car_ , Frankie?" Clawd asked.

"If you can call it a car," muttered Deuce.

"At a used car dealership," said Frankie, "it's been sitting in the lot for years. They were about to send him to the junkyard to be recycled. Can you believe it? They were actually about to scrap him."

"'Him?'" Cleo asked.

"Hector," said Frankie as she lovingly patted the hood of the car, "I know, naming a car sounds crazy, but as soon as I saw him, it's the first thing that popped into my mind."

"And how much did you pay for…for Hector?" Clawdeen asked.

"Two thousand dollars," said Frankie, "I would have paid more but the dealer insisted that Hector wasn't worth that much," she laughed, "as if he knew anything about cars."

"Frankie, dear," said Lagoona, "I don't know how to tell you this, but…"

"But you've been taken," said Toralei as she finally got back up, "you bought a lemon."

"What?" Frankie asked irately, her neck bolts sparking with her annoyance, "no, I didn't buy a lemon, I bought a car," she then frowned at Toralei, "and a great car at that, thank you very much."

"I'm sorry to say it, but it's a piece of junk," said Robecca, "and coming from me, that's serious."

"I think we should go back to the dealership and get your money back, Frankie," said Draculaura, "hopefully before that con artist of a dealer runs away with your money."

"No!" said Frankie in an outraged tone, "it was a fair deal and I for one don't appreciate you trying to make me give up my car!"

"Frankie, we're trying to help you!" said Cleo, "you can't honestly expect us to believe that you're happy with this…this…thing!"

"I am happy with Hector!" said Frankie, "and you should be happy with my decision too, Cleo."

"I wouldn't be caught dead or alive in it," said Cleo coldly, "it looks like someone's nightmare!"

"This thing's a freaking death trap, Frankie," said Clawd as he walked around the car, "the headlights are broken, the tires are all but gone, the hood is barely attached, I don't even want to look at the engine and brakes. And the paint job sucks too, by the way."

"I think that's actually lead-based paint," said Jackson, "this thing's a case of lead poisoning waiting to happen!"

"We'll call a tow truck and take it back to the dealership, Frankie," said Lagonna in a comforting manner, "we'll get you a refund, go to a _real_ dealership and get you a _real_ car."

"If you want a muscle car so much," said Deuce, "We'll go get you a Mustang, or a Porsche or a GTO."

"I know a friend of a friend who has a Firebird for sale," said Draculaura.

"Trans AM Firebird?" Jackson asked, "like from 'Smokey and the Bandit?'"

"Complete with black paint and the screaming chicken on the hood," said Draculaura.

"Wouldn't you rather have that than this hunk of junk, Frankie?" Clawdeen asked as she pointed at the derelict Cadillac.

At that Frankie's neck bolts sparked as her expression turned to that of outright angst, "I don't want a screaming chicken!" she then pointed at her car, "I want Hector! Honestly, you ghouls! I thought you'd be more supportive!"

"We are supportive, Frankie!" said Draculaura, "we just don't want to see you get hurt, that's all."

"And we don't want you to waste any more money," said Clawd, "and time. It'll take forever to get this hunk of junk working again."

"Actually," said Robecca as she looked under the car, "it may not take that long at all."

"I think you're right," said Jackson as he too looked under the car, then popped the hood, "The undercarriage doesn't look too bad. The brakes need work, as does the engine, but it's not hopeless."

"I knew you'd be on my side, Jackson," said a warmly smiling Frankie as she hugged him, then Robecca, "you too!"

"It definitely needs new paint," said Heath as he walked over and looked inside the car, "and the seats need new coverings, and don't get me started on the smell."

"Oh, yeah, about that," said Frankie, "apparently some raccoons have been living in Hector for a while."

"Oh my Ra," said Cleo as she lowered her head and leaned her forehead against her palm.

"It's not hopeless," said Clawd in a thoughtful, "there's a chance we can get this car back in shape again."

"Just as there's a chance that my pet project could work too?" Operetta asked.

"Okay, you got me on that," said Clawd.

"What project?" Frankie asked, "did I miss something while I was out buying Hector?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Toralei offhandedly, "just that we're all going to put on a world famous musical and you're not in it. You could have, but you just had to go buy a car, and a lemon of a car at that."

"It's not too late to cast someone else, you know," said an annoyed Clawdeen.

"I wonder if we can get Heath to play C.B.?" Draculaura asked.

"Some dreams are just impossible," said Cleo.

"You know, I actually think this car could be a real winner," said Howleen as she brushed some dirt off of the rear fender, only it to partly fall off and clang on the ground. "Or maybe not."

Howleen then noticed that Spectra was looking at the car oddly, "what's wrong?" Howleen asked.

"Oh, nothing," said Spectra, "it's just, for a moment…no, it's nothing never mind." she then took several pictures of the car with her phone, "now this will make the perfect beginning of my latest expose: 'Frankie Stein's Creation.' I've got the _Before_ pictures, now all I have to do is wait until the car's finished to take the After pictures."

"Just don't jump to any conclusions before the car's actually done," said Twyla, "and…" but then Twyla paused as if in thought, looking off into the distance.

"What's wrong?" Howleen asked.

"I thought I sensed something watching us," said Twyla, "something from the shadows."

* * *

 _ **…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…**_

"That's when we should have realized that something was frighteningly wrong," said Frankie, "Twyla's the daughter of The Boogie Man; she's all about the shadows; if she sensed something watching all of us from the shadows, she was right."

"And boy was she right," said Clawdeen.

"Was that when Valentine got Draculaura and brainwashed her?" Cupid asked.

"That's still later," said Frankie, "anyway, turned out that Hector was in better shape than we thought."

"She wouldn't have been able to drive the darn thing off the car lot if it wasn't," said Lagoona.

"Let alone make it to school and to the garage," said Robecca.

"Whatever," said Frankie, "point is, the only major things wrong with Hector was that he needed some bodywork, a new paint job and replace some worn parts. But then we discovered there was a lot more to his engine, way more."

"There were parts in that engine block that no one could figure out," said Robecca, "and buttons on the dashboard that shouldn't have been there."

"What kind of buttons?" Avery asked.

"Really mysterious buttons," said Lagoona, "the kind that needed more power than that acid-dripping piece of scrap of a car battery could provide."

"We got a new battery at a store at The Maul that specializes in classic cars," said Frankie, "and asked the owner if he could tell us anything about the strange parts and buttons, when…"

* * *

 _ **…The Maul…a few weeks ago…**_

"I told you we wouldn't find out anything here," said Clawdeen as she, Frankie, Draculaura, Lagoona, Cleo and Ghoulia walked out of the automotive store.

"How hard can it be to figure out some weird parts in a '71 Cadillac Eldorado?" Frankie asked.

At that Ghoulia moaned something as she found a fact online via her phone.

"They made less than thirty thousand?" Frankie asked.

"It's not just that there isn't a lot of parts for that make and model of car left, Frankie," said Cleo, "you heard what Deuce and the boys said about some people and classic cars."

"There's a lot of Normies out there who do strange things to their automobiles," said Lagoona, "Jackson said that whoever worked on that car was either stark raving mad or a certified genius. If we can get Hector up and running again, we could very well have something amazing."

"That's assuming we can figure out whatever was done to it," said Clawdeen

"All those buttons we found on the dashboard," said Draculaura, "what do you think they're all for?"

"I don't know," said Frankie, "but if they special features like on The Mach 5 from Speed Racer, I know I've died and gone to heaven!"

Just then the Ghoulfriends were accosted by a seemingly ordinary Normie wearing a gray suit and tie with a gray trench coat. The man glared at Frankie and the others, as if assessing them for some nefarious reason.

"Uh…can we help you with something?" an annoyed Clawdeen asked.

"Draculaura? Daughter of Dracula?" the man asked as he pulled out a piece of paper with Draculaura's picture on it, "is this you? This is you, right?"

"Uh…yes?" said Draculaura hesitantly.

"Good, the last thing I need is to get the wrong vampire," said the man as he pocketed the paper, the pulled out another one, only this one had a picture of Draculaura's necklace, "now that we've established you're the one I'm after, hand over the necklace."

"What? You want my necklace?" Draculaura asked as her hand went up to said jewelry item, "why do you want it?"

"Maybe he's the rightful owner," said Lagoona.

"If so," said Cleo as she eyed the gray-clad man suspiciously, "then he should have the proper documentation proving that the necklace is his."

"Oh, it's not mine," said the man, "but the ones I work for, they're the ones who want it, and they'll go to any lengths to get it, even so far as authorizing me and my comrades to obtain it with extreme prejudice."

"What does that mean?" Frankie asked in a worried tone.

"It means our dully clad friend is trying to rob our dear Draculaura!" said an outraged Cleo as she speed-dialed Deuce on her phone, "and when my boyfriend gets here, you're going to wish you never even heard of the necklace, you horrible Normie!"

"Only after my brother's done with him!" said Clawdeen as she speed-dialed Clawd on her phone.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"You're right, 'or we could just call the police,'" said Frankie as she pulled out her phone and prepared to dial 911.

"No, I can handle this," said Draculaura in a determined tone.

"You sure about that?" Lagoona asked, "I don't know what it is, but there's something about this bloke that makes my scales crawl."

"I've got this," said Draculaura, "I've lost count how many times I've been mugged in my life, or at least, how many times a Normie has tried to mug me." She then walked up to the gray-clad man with defiant eyes, "if you really want to try and rob this 1,600-year-old vampire, you'll find that I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

"I could care less what you're worth," said the man, "it's that necklace that's worth anything. I didn't want to do this, I was hoping to settle this without exposing myself," it was then that lines of energy in the shape of a jackal appeared on his face, "but it seems I have little choice!"

With a flash of energy, the man morphed into a gray creature with armor-like skin with features of a jackal.

The sudden transformation left Draculaura, Frankie and the others momentarily stunned, while every other Monster in the general area was terrified to the point where they ran away screaming, while also snapping the Ghoulfriends back to their senses.

"Whoa! What are you?!" Clawdeen asked as she and the others backed away from the creature.

It was then that from the creature's shadow emerged a hazy image of the man that spoke, "one of many that will bring about a new evolution for humanity! Now give me that necklace!"

The image vanished from the creature's shadow as it rushed at Draculaura. Clawdeen and Frankie got in front of Draculaura, only for Clawdeen to be shoved aside as if she were a minor obstruction, then backhanded Frankie into a store's window display.

"Frankie! Clawdeen!" exclaimed Draculaura as she tried to, only for her to be grabbed by Lagoona and Ghoulia, while Cleo rummaged through her purse.

"We've got to get out of here, D!" said Lagoona, "that thing's wicked strong!"

"I don't care, we've got to help them!" shouted Draculaura.

Ghoulia moaned something as she struggled to hold onto Draculaura.

"She's right, we have to get out of here!" said Cleo as she continued to search her purse, "where's that teleportation amulet!?"

The creature then rushed up and grabbed Cleo's right arm and wrenched it back hard, earning a scream of pain from the mummy princess as her bones broke.

"Get away from my friend, you creep!" shouted Clawdeen as she got back up, her yellow eyes glaring with rage. She rushed at the creature and shoved her shoulder against it, forcing it to release Cleo, whom almost fainted to the floor, only to be caught by Lagoona and Draculaura.

"Lagoona, get Cleo and Draculaura out of here!" shouted Clawdeen as she threw a punch at the creature, which it easily dodged. It then sidestepped another punch, causing Clawdeen to overbalance. It grabbed Clawdeen and threw her to the ground.

"HEY!" shouted Frankie as she stood up and extricated herself from the broken glass and destroyed displays, her neck bolts sparking furiously as she caught the creature's attention.

"Don't mess with a ghoul with voltage!" said Frankie as her electricity flowed from her neck bolts, down her arms and built up in her fingertips, which she aimed at the creature. A double jolt of electricity hit the creature with enough force to knock it down.

"Come on, we've got to go!" shouted Frankie as she helped Clawdeen back up, while Lagoona, Ghoulia and Draculaura helped Cleo. As the six Ghoulfriends ran for the nearest exit, Frankie glanced back to see the creature slowly but surely get back up, apparently no worse for wear.

"Go ahead and run, little Monsters!" shouted the man's image from the creature's shadow, "run and hide! I found you once, I'll find you again! I will have that piece of The Star of Rosskarn! And if I don't get it, another of my kind will!"

Frankie was then distracted by the sound of approaching police sirens. Yet she and the others out the door, Frankie looked back again and saw no trace of the creature.

 **… _Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_**

"We got Cleo to the hospital and had her bones set," said Frankie.

"And for bones that are over three thousand years old," said a teasing Lagoona, "they're in pretty good shape."

"Oh shut up," said Cleo as she held her cast with her left hand. "You're lucky to have gotten away with a black eye."

"Not all of us were as lucky as both of you," said Clawdeen as she held up her bandaged hands.

"When did those happen?" Apple asked.

"A lot later," said Lagoona, "anyway, we talked to the police but there was no trace of the creature."

"Not as if it would have mattered much," said Cleo, "Draculaura shut herself in her room and wouldn't come out. It took us hours to get her to calm down enough to let us in."

"We did convince her to go outside again," said Frankie, "after we assured her that that thing wasn't right out her front door, waiting to steal her necklace."

"What was that creature?" Cupid asked, "and why did it want that necklace?"

"It was no Monster," said Abbey, "no civilized Monster anyway."

"How would you know? You weren't even there at the Maul," said Lagoona, "actually, I think that bloke was rather polite, until he tried to kill us anyway."

"That was no Monster," said Avery grimly, "that was a _Kaijin_."

"We know it wasn't a Monster," said Clawdeen, "not like us that is."

"We ran into others like it," said Frankie, "and another kind of evil Monster, and Orphnoch."

"A whatnow?" asked Raven.

"Another tribe of _Kaijin_ ," said Tobias, "similar to Worms in their ability to masquerade as humans. Apparently, and this is extremely rare, if a human suffers a violent, traumatic death, he or she can come back to life, only now as a shape-shifting creature of incredibly vicious strengths and abilities."

"The Alabaster Council told us about other types of _Kaijin_ and their goals," said Avery, "with Orphnochs, their goal is to create even more Orphnochs by attacking humans, stinging and infecting their hearts with a poison that will either transform the victim into another Orphnoch or crumble the poor soul into dust."

"What do they want? What is this Star of Rosskarn they're after?" Raven asked.

"We didn't know at the time," said Lagoona, "but since those mangy dingoes wanted it so badly, we knew it wasn't good."

"And they would have gotten Draculaura's piece that much sooner, if it weren't for Faiz and Kiva," said Frankie.

"So you do have Riders on your world," said Apple.

"Yep," said Frankie, "and I'll tell you all about them."

… _The End Is Just The Beginning…_


	3. Chapter 2: Open Your Eyez For Faiz

_Before we resume the tale, I wish to apologize to everyone for the irregular update. My schedule's been rather chaotic lately and is still chaotic, meaning I have very little time to write. That, and I have other story projects I want to work on. I'll do the best I can and bring you the best story I can write, so please be patient with me. And with that said and done, the story resumes!_

 **Chapter 2: Open Your Eyez For The Coming Of Faiz**

 _…_ _Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"So where was I?" Frankie asked.

"You and the others had gotten away from that Orphnoch thing that attacked you at the Maul," said Cupid.

"And Draculaura shut herself in her room," said Raven.

"Right," said Frankie, "anyway, we convinced her to go outside again, and if she would put the necklace somewhere safe."

"If that Orphnoch bloke wanted it so badly, it must have been important," said Lagoona, "and it was, but we didn't know it for sure at the time."

"So what'd you do with it?" Dexter asked, "where is it now?"

"I'm getting to that," said Frankie, "anyway, Abbey suggested we airship it to her cousins in Antarctica."

"Cousin Viktor runs a hot spring resort near Mount Erebus," said Abbey.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"We know it's winter in Antarctica right now," said Cleo, "so trying to get a plane to fly down to Ross Island would have been problematic at best."

"So then Lagoona suggested we hide the necklace in the deep end of the pool at Monster High," said Frankie.

"There's still a lot of that place that's unexplored," said Lagoona, "but since there's still that nasty klepto-kraken and Neptune knows what else down there, Draculaura vetoed the idea in a flash."

"So we asked Headmistress Bloodgood to hold onto it for the time being," said Frankie, "I thought she'd put it in a safe deposit vault in a bank or something. Instead, Headmistress Bloodgood had a different idea…"

* * *

 _…Monster High…A Few Weeks Ago…_

"I had no idea this was in the catacombs, and I live here," said Operetta as she, Frankie and the rest of the Ghoulfriends, stood with Headmistress Bloodgood and Nightmare in front of a large safe door deep in the bowels of the school, deeper than Frankie and the others had been before. The safe door was over ten feet high and made of solid steel. There were three tumbler locks on the safe, as well as two keyholes.

"This particular safe is one of Monster High's oldest legacies," said the headless Headmistress as she dialed the combination into the first tumbler lock, then the second, "since the school's inception, it has been the honor and duty of each successive headmaster or mistress to guard the secrets within."

"What kind of secrets?" an awed Lagoona asked.

"Secrets that determines the future of each and every student that passes through Monster High's hallowed halls," said Bloodgood as she dialed the third combination. She then took out a silver key from her coat pocket, "Nightmare, your key, please."

At that the fire-breathing horse tossed her head and from her mane tumbled out a silver key on a small silver chain attached to her bridle. Both headmistress and horse inserted the keys into the locks and turned them simultaneously.

Frankie and the others then heard several tumblers turning as the locks disengaged, followed by the screech of rusted metal as the door swung open. A small gust of stale, dusty air blew out from within the safe as Bloodgood stepped inside and flicked a light switch.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" said Cleo urgently, "what's in there?" With that she rushed into the safe, only to find a massive cavern filled with countless file cabinets. "What…what is this?"

"Your permanent records," said Bloodgood, "as well as the records of every Monster High student going back to the beginning in 1814."

"So this is where you keep everyone's info," said Lagoona as she opened one cabinet and pulled out a file, "Crikey! Here's Heath's!"

"You shouldn't look at that!" exclaimed Bloodgood, but by now Frankie and the others were looking to different records.

"Oh, have I got the goods on Neffra now," said a mischievously eager Cleo as she found the records for her older, wicked sister.

"Hey, Frankie!" said Clawdeen as she read one file, "did you know that your dad blew up the school's science lab at least seventeen times?"

"I guess that's why he got his own lab in the catacombs," said Frankie, "oh my ghoul! There's a whole drawer for Toralei here!"

"Oh, I've got to see that!" said Clawdeen eagerly as she and the others rushed over, only to be blocked by Nightmare, whom irately snorted sparks and gouts of flame at them.

"I'll thank you to not violate the privacy of your fellow students and alumni," said a highly unhappy Bloodgood as she replaced the files in their respective drawers and closed them, "now, Ms. Draculaura, would you be so kind as to relinquish the troublesome necklace?"

"Please, don't lose it," said Draculaura as she reluctantly handed the necklace to Bloodgood, "Clawd gave it to me. I know that that horrible thing wants it for some horrible reason, but it's precious to me."

"It will be safe, secure and well remembered," said Bloodgood, "now leave me to hiding it. You all know where the safe is, but only I will know _where in_ the safe the necklace shall lay."

* * *

 _…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"So we let Headmistress Bloodgood hide the necklace in the records safe," said Frankie, "and good luck to anyone who tries to get it."

"I'll say," remarked Avery, "a safe with three combinations, two keys, not to mention finding the damn thing again."

"I doubt I could find it again," said Clawdeen, "even if I tried to follow everyone's scents back to the safe, the air in that part of the catacombs was moving. By now our scents would have dissipated."

"I don't think even Operetta can find it again," said Lagoona, "and she lives in the catacombs."

"I don't think even Ghoulia could find it again," said Cleo, "no offense."

At that Ghoulia moaned something in the manner of 'none taken.'

"Okay, so you secured the necklace," said Cupid, "but what about Valentine? When did he grab and brainwash Draculaura?"

"I'm getting to that," said Frankie, "but there's more to tell first. Anyway, after we gave the necklace to Bloodgood, she gave us the rest of the day and the next off."

"I wanted to go back to the Maul," said Cleo, "to show that Orphnoch thing and its fellows that we weren't afraid of it."

"Abbey wanted to try and find it," said Clawdeen, "so did I."

"All I wanted was to just hang out somewhere where Draculaura would feel safe," said Frankie, "she was still jumpy from being attacked. We convinced her to come with us to a coffee shop that's popular among Monsters and Normies, when…"

* * *

 _…A Few Weeks Ago…_

"I swear, every time we figure out the menu, they come up with something else," said Cleo as she and the others stood in a coffee shop trying to decide what they wanted. Around them were several Monsters and humans, enjoying coffee and getting along with each other, some from both sides sitting together at the same tables.

"I can barely pronounce half of what's on the menu," said Frankie, "I mean…what is that?"

"Don't know, but it sounds Italian," said Clawdeen.

"Might as well Pig Latin or Venusian," said Lagoona.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"You're right," said Cleo, "coffee is coffee, and yes, you'll be happy so long as yours has plenty of sugar in it."

At that Ghoulia moaned something else.

"Yes, yes, real sugar, not that artificial sweetener you detest so much," said a mildly annoyed Cleo, "I swear, Ghoulia, how can you stay so thin with all the junk food and sugar you consume?"

At that Ghoulia moaned again.

"Yes, I know all those empty calories are fuel for your brain," said Cleo, "but seriously, if you don't eat better, you'll lose your figure forever."

"You should eat more meat; the body needs protein."

"Exactly," said Cleo. She then frowned with confusion, "wait, who said that?"

"I did," said a familiar voice from a nearby table. Frankie looked and saw the man in the gray suit from yesterday, sitting with a newspaper in one hand and an espresso in the other.

"You!?" exclaimed Draculaura as she took several fearful steps back, "Frankie! Everyone! We've got to get out of here!"

"No! We're not running!" said Frankie defiantly as Clawdeen and Lagoona restrained Draculaura. Frankie irately walked up to the man, "so you're stalking us now? Just to get that dumb necklace?!"

"I haven't done anything," said the man innocently, "I'm just sitting here, reading the news and enjoying a cup of coffee." He then finished his drink, neatly folded the newspaper, set it on the table, stood up and faced Frankie and the others, "now that that's over with, be so kind as to give me the necklace."

"We don't have it," said Frankie as Lagoona and Clawdeen stood in front of Draculaura, shielding her from the gray-clad man.

"I can see that, I'm not blind," said the man irately, "so tell me where it is already!"

"No!" said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked with anger, "we're not telling you where the necklace is."

"Even if we did, we couldn't tell you exactly where it is," said Cleo as she held her purse with her cast-encased arm and awkwardly searched her purse with her left, "now where is that cursed amulet? I know I have it here somewhere."

"You Monster brats are seriously grinding my gears," said the man, "now tell me where the necklace is before I commit some collateral damage in this establishment."

"You can't," said Frankie as she looked around fearfully at the unsuspecting human and Monster customers, "all these people…"

"Are going to die unless you tell me what I want to know," said the man.

"You're bluffing," said Cleo.

"You think I am?" the man asked as he raised one eyebrow, "you were lucky yesterday that that shopping center was full of cowardly Monsters. They got away before I could do anything about them. But not now!"

With a flash of energy lines, the man transformed into the Jackal Orphnoch. Before anyone could react, it grabbed a nearby human woman. A pair of gray tentacles shot out from the creature and stabbed the woman in the heart. She gasped in pain as the creature retracted the tentacles and shoved her away.

The woman looked around in confusion, before gasping in shock as she crumbled to dust. This broke the stunned silence among the other customers as they all began screaming in fear and ran for the exits.

"Stop it!" shouted Frankie as the Jackal Orphnoch grabbed another human, a man this time, and stabbed him in the heart with his tentacles. Within seconds the man crumbled to dust.

"Why!?" demanded Frankie, "why are you doing this?!"

"Because I can," said the image of the man from the shadow of the Jackal Orphnoch, "and because you won't tell me what I want to know." It then grabbed a third human, a young girl no older than twelve. The creature's tentacles hovered over the terrified girl's heart, "now tell me where the damn necklace is already!"

"I…we can't," said Frankie as she looked apologetically at the terrified girl, as if begging her to accept her silent 'I'm sorry, I can't help you.'

"Too bad," said the Jackal Orphnoch, "more human blood on your pretty hands."

"NO!" shouted Clawdeen, whom had gotten behind the creature and kicked it with enough force to make it release the girl. Lagoona grabbed the girl and pulled her to her nearby terrified parents.

"It's alright, just go," said Lagoona, turning away to get back to Draculaura and the others without even waiting to see if the human family got away.

"You're going to pay for that," said the Jackal Orphnoch as it faced Clawdeen.

"You and what army?" asked Clawdeen asked as she rushed at the creature, her right fist balled up to sock it in the head. But the Jackal Orphnoch grabbed her fist in its own and began squeezing. Clawdeen tried to pull free but the creature's grip was too strong. She then tried to hit the Orphnoch with her left fist but that too was grabbed.

"I told you you'd pay," said the Jackal Orphnoch as it crushed Clawdeen's fists, causing her to howl in agony and collapse to her knees.

But then Clawd burst through the window and tackled the creature, forcing it to release Clawdeen as the momentum of the tackle forced it out the other side of the shop.

"Clawd!" cried an overjoyed Draculaura as Clawd grabbed Clawdeen and pulled her to her feet, then grabbed Draculaura and jumped out the window he came in with both of them in his arms. Running like the werewolf sports star he was, Clawd dashed across the street in a split second, then gently deposited his charges on the sidewalk

"Hey! Wait for us!" shouted Lagoona as she, Frankie, Ghoulia and Cleo, ran out the front door and across the street.

"Thanks for leaving us behind, Clawd," said Cleo irately, yet her verbal sting fell on deaf ears as Clawd held Draculaura in his arms, with Draculaura clutching her arms around him for dear immortal life.

"Oh, Clawd," sobbed Draculaura, "why? Why is this happening to me?"

"I don't know, D," said Clawd as he comforted his vampire love, "but no matter what, I'll always be there for you."

"Any chance you can be there for me?" said Clawdeen as she gritted her teeth against the agony of her crushed hands, "remember me? Your sister who happens to be in indescribable pain!?"

"Huh? Oh, right," said Clawd as he and Draculaura went over to Clawdeen, "are you alright?"

"DO I LOOK ALRIGHT!?" exclaimed Clawdeen as she held up her mangled hands, while tears of rage and agony falling from her eyes, "my hands! Look what that…that thing…look what it did to my hands!"

"Uh…don't worry, Clawdeen, we'll get you to the hospital and they'll fix you up good as new," said Frankie as she tried to put up a brave front, yet she knew, just by looking at Clawdeen's hands, that they would never be the same again.

"I'm crippled, not stupid, Frankie," sobbed Clawdeen, "they'll never fix my hands!"

* * *

 _…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"Okay, maybe I overreacted a bit," said Clawdeen as she held up her bandaged and splinted hands.

"A bit," said Lagoona, "you were crying like a dogfish pup lost from his mum."

"Yeah, well," said Clawdeen, "I really was scared that I'd be crippled, that I could kiss my dreams of working in the fashion world goodbye."

"Oh come on," said Dexter, "even with a disability, you can still live your dreams."

"And I think I know a way to speed up the healing," said Apple as she sat next to Clawdeen and gently took the werewolf's hands in hers.

"With what, magic?" asked Clawdeen.

"In a way, yes," said Apple as she looked at Clawdeen's hands, "the healing arts on my world may be a bit more mystical than yours, but the results are what matter, so long as no one gets hurt in the process. 'Do no harm,' first rule of any healer."

"Oh, Apple, when did you start taking Riddlish lessons?" asked an eager Maddie as she dunked a cookie in her tea.

"What's Riddlish?" asked Cleo, "and where'd you get those cookies? I want one!" she then took one of Maddie's cookies and bit into it, then spat it out with a cry of disgust, "what is this?!" she exclaimed as she tossed the remains of the cookie to the floor.

"Snozberry Cookies, of course," said Maddie.

"It's a Wonderland fruit," said Raven, "and an acquired taste."

"Excuse me," said Cleo as she stood up, "I have this sudden urge to brush my teeth." With that she hurried out of the workshop.

"Huh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the magic mushroom," said Maddie as she poured a fresh cup of tea.

"We've all been having a bad couple of days," said Lagoona.

"At least you didn't freak you when you got that black eye," said Clawdeen.

"No one simply gave this to me," said Lagoona as she pointed at her black eye, then smugly crossed her arms, "I won it."

"Oh really?" asked Frankie in a daring manner, then looked at Cupid, "let me tell you how Lagoona got her black eye…"

* * *

 _…A Few Weeks Ago…_

Just then the entire façade of the coffee shop exploded outward, followed by the irate stomping of the Jackal Orphnoch as it emerged from the wreckage.

"Oh, bloody hell!" exclaimed Lagoona as she and the others gazed in horror at the advancing creature, "let's get out of here!"

Lagoona turned to run, only to slam right into a lamppost, falling down to the pavement in a dazed heap.

"Lagoona!" exclaimed Draculaura as she rushed over to her discombobulated friend.

"Did anyone catch the license on that sea bus?" Lagoona asked in an unsteady tone, "I'm so suing."

"I love it when they make it easy," said the image of the man from the Jackal's shadow as the creature walked into the street towards Frankie and the others, only for it to be hit headlong by a red SUV with a reinforced fender. The creature was hit with enough force to send it flying several paces away, landing hard on the asphalt.

As three Normies exited the SUV, Frankie realized that the whole car had been armored, although not professionally. Rather, as if the armor, composed of corrugated steel and razor wire, had been welded on during a high school automotive class.

Frankie then got a closer look at the three Normies; two boys and a girl. The first boy was about 19 with short, dark brown hair and green eyes, the second was around 17 with black hair and dark blue eyes, while the girl was about 18 with shoulder-length chestnut brown hair and green eyes. The girl carried in her hands a large, metal briefcase.

"Are you alright?" the boy with brown hair asked.

"I…uh…" said a highly confused Frankie.

"Did that thing sting any of you?" the girl asked urgently, "we need to know!"

"Uh…no, not us," said Frankie, "but that creature…it did sting a few Normies in the coffee shop. Oh my ghoul! They…they just…"

"Turned to dust?" the boy with black hair asked, at which Frankie nodded.

"No doubt about it," said the boy with brown hair, "it's an Orphnoch."

"Just what is an Orphnoch?" Cleo asked, "and who are you people, anyway?"

"A monster unlike anything you Monsters have ever seen," said the girl with brown hair, "and for your information, my name is Jessie Carpenter."

"Ian Thatcher," said the boy with brown hair.

"Lance Baker," said the boy with black hair, "and for some reason, this particular Orphnoch wants you, Draculaura."

"Me?" Draculaura asked, "but…I thought it wanted my necklace."

"That too," said the Lance Baker, "but you as well."

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you Normies?" Clawd asked defensively as he stood between the three humans and Draculaura, shielding her.

"Oh for the love of God, we're not your enemies!" said Jessie Carpenter. She then pointed down the street, where the Jackal Orphnoch was getting back up. "It is!"

"By Anubis!" exclaimed Cleo, "how do you stop that thing!?"

"With this," said Jessie Carpenter as she set the briefcase down and opened it. Inside was a sophisticated metal belt, a set of brass knuckles shaped like a camera, a large laser pointer-like device and a flip-open cell phone.

"Who's turn is it this time?" Jessie asked as she took out the belt, then loaded the knuckle duster into a slot on one side, then connected the laser pointer to another slot.

"I had it last," said Lance, "So it's Ian's turn.

"You got it," said Ian as he took the belt from Jessie and put it on his waist.

Ghoulia then moaned something as Jessie handed the cell phone to Ian.

"Yeah, where did you get that phone?" asked Cleo, "a garage sale?"

"I'd laugh if I weren't in such extreme pain," said Clawdeen.

"It's a gift from someone special to us," said Ian, "a gift to fight the Orphnoch.

"Then it's you," said the image of the man from the Jackal Orphnoch's shadow, "you are the ones who's been causing so much trouble for my comrades. You punks have a lesson to learn; how not to stand in the way of evolution!"

"Even if Orphnochs are the next step in human evolution," said Ian, "that doesn't give you the right to murder innocent people!"

Ian then opened the phone and pressed the 5 button three times, followed by a button marked 'Enter.'

 **5 5 5**

 **STANDING BY**

The phone then emitted a high-pitch klaxon-like sound as Ian closed the phone and raised it up in his right hand.

"Henshin!" shouted Ian as he brought the phone down and clicked it into place on the belt vertically, then turned the phone 90° to connect it all the way.

 **COMPLETE**

Red lines of energy flowed up and down from the belt and with a flash of light, Ian was encased in a black full-bodysuit of material several times stronger than Kevlar. Strategically placed across the suit was gray and red armored pieces, while the upper torso was covered in a more complex chest plate. The helmet had an amber sphere covering the face bisected by a silver line that went halfway up the center of the sphere, while at the top of the sphere were two red antennae.

"I…I've never seen anything like it!" said an astonished Cleo, while Draculaura, Clawd, Clawdeen, Ghoulia and Frankie looked on with equally amazed eyes.

"But what is he?" asked Draculaura.

"Not a what, 'who,'" said Jessie, "Faiz: Kamen Rider Faiz."

"I will kill you, Faiz!" shouted the Jackal Orphnoch, "after I get the little vampire bitch!" it then charged headlong towards Draculaura, with Clawd and Frankie standing in front of her.

But Faiz got in front of Clawd and Frankie, intercepting and punching the Jackal Orphnoch hard in the chest, forcing it back and allowing Clawd and Frankie to get Draculaura out of the way.

The Jackal Orphnoch then threw a punch at Faiz, whom effortlessly blocked it, then blocked several more punches, before returning with a punch of his own that knocked the creature back several paces.

Faiz then delivered a multi-punch combo that kept knocking the creature back even more, then finished up with a hard kick that sent the creature flying back several yards, landing hard on the asphalt of the road.

"It doesn't have to go any further," said Faiz to the creature as it struggled back to its feet, "Just walk away and forget the whole thing!"

"You're really willing to let it go?!" an outraged Cleo asked, "after what that thing did!? After it broke my arm!?"

"Don't forget my hands," said Clawdeen, "and murdered those people."

"That creature was human once," said Lance, "before a cruel twist of fate transformed it into an abomination."

"But even though it's no longer human," said Jessie, "doesn't mean it has to surrender its humanity."

"You can go back to a normal life," said Faiz to the Jackal Orphnoch, "or at least start over with a new life. You don't have to murder people in order to increase your numbers. If the Orphnoch is the next step in human evolution, then let nature take its course."

At that the Jackal Orphnoch laughed cruelly.

"I don't think it heard you," said Clawd.

"You stupid humans!" snapped the Jackal Orphnoch, "and you stupid Monsters! This has gone way beyond human evolution! We Orphnoch have discovered another way to ensure the survival of our species, a way shown by The Obsidian Council."

"The what council?" asked Frankie.

"Really bad guys," said Jessie, "we'll tell you later."

"What does The Obsidian Council want with the daughter of Dracula?" asked Faiz.

"Like I'm going to tell you!" shouted the Jackal Orphnoch, "it matters not! You shall not prevent the acquisition of The Star of Rosskarn and the destruction of this world!"

"The what now?" asked Faiz.

"I've said too much!" exclaimed the Jackal Orphnoch, "DIE!" it then rushed at Faiz, whom dodged the creature, forcing it to overbalance and fall to the ground.

Faiz then backed up several paces as he removed from the back of the phone on his belt, the back resembling data card. He then inserted the data card into the laser-pointer device.

 **READY**

Faiz then snapped the pointer device onto a connector port on his right calf, just as the Jackal Orphnoch began to get up. He then opened the phone again and pressed the Enter button.

 **EXCEDE CHARGE**

A pulse of energy flowed from Faiz's belt down his right leg and into the pointer device. Faiz then ran headlong at the creature and jumped high into the air. He then somersaulted as a bolt of energy shot from the pointer at the Jackal Orphnoch.

The bolt of energy then expanded into a red cone that hovered in front of the Jackal Orphnoch as Faiz completed his midair somersault, dropping towards the cone and the creature with his right leg extended for a kick.

Faiz then connected with the cone of energy and seemed to vanish, just as the cone spun rapidly like a drill, burrowing right into the creature and expanding into a red circle with a diagonal line through it, just as Faiz reappeared several yard behind the Jackal Orphnoch. An instant later, the creature was engulfed in a blast of blue flames.

The fire dissipated after a few seconds, leaving the creature seemingly unharmed. But then the Jackal Orphnoch collapsed and crumbled to dust that blew away with a gust of wind.

"Score another for the good guys," said Jessie happily, but then was startled as Lance roughly brushed past her shoulder to reach Faiz, whom nearly collapsed as he powered down with a flash of red energy.

"Rude, much?!" asked Jessie irately as she ran towards Lance, whom was helping Ian back to his feet.

"Sorry, didn't want him to fall on his face," said Lance.

"I'm alright," said Ian, though from the sweat beading on his brow and the look of exhaustion on his face, he was far from alright.

"Well, I'm glad that's over," said Clawd as Lance, Ian and Jessie walked back over.

"Are you kidding?" asked Lance, "that was just one Orphnoch."

"There's a lot more out there," said Ian, "and behind them is The Obsidian Council."

"Not to mention the wicked middlemen between Obsidian and the Orphnoch," said Jessie, "they're the ones calling the shot in whatever vile scheme Obsidian is up to."

"So, no, it's not over," said Lance, "in fact, it's just getting started."

"Well, whatever's going to happen," said Frankie, "I'm just glad you guys are on our side," she then looked at Ian, Lance and Jessie with unsure eyes, "you guys are on our side, right?"

"You bet your life we are," said Ian as he held out his hand.

"Just checking," said Frankie as she shook Ian's hand.

Just then everyone heard someone groaning.

"What'd you say, Ghoulia?" asked Cleo, "you know we can't understand you if you don't enunciate."

At that Ghoulia irately moaned something along the lines of 'it wasn't me!'

"Oh, my ghoul! Lagoona!" exclaimed Draculaura as she and the others rushed over to their fallen friend, whom was regaining her senses.

"What…what happened?" asked a dazed Lagoona as she touched her face and winced.

"You…kinda leapt before you looked," said Frankie.

* * *

 _…_ _Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present day…_

"Wow, that Faiz guy sounds cool," said Cupid. She then hastily looked at Tobias, "nowhere as cool as Sasword and the others, mind you."

"It's alright," said Tobias, "one Rider is equally awesome as the next, just on different levels."

"But what about Ian, Jessie and Lance?" asked Raven, "What's their story?"

"Most likely the same as ours," said Avery, "they lead ordinary lives until they were drafted by The Obsidian Council to be Riders."

"If Ian has accepted Inui Takumi's mantle of Faiz," said Tobias, "then what about the other two?"

"They take turns," said Frankie, "for some reason, being Faiz seriously drains them of power and leaves them weak as a battery way past its expiration date."

"We later found out that none of them could remain powered up for more than fifteen minutes," said Clawdeen, "any longer could possibly kill them."

"I guess taking turns makes sense," said Dexter, "but why would Alabaster chose them to be Riders if the power is so harmful or even life threatening?"

"Who knows?" Avery asked in return, "if there's one thing I've learned about The Alabaster Council is that their decisions aren't always clear at first."

"Well, they've been really helpful since they showed up, Ian, Jessie and Lance," said Frankie, "and they're really great friends."

"I'm sure we'll like them," said Cupid, "but when does Valentine come into this?"

"Soon," said Frankie, "but there's much more to go through before we get to that. And I haven't told you about what happened when the Fangire showed up."

"Oh yeah, tell them about the Fangire, Frankie!" said Heath Burns as he sat nearby on one of the chairs.

"Heath!" exclaimed an irate Frankie, Lagoona, Clawdeen, Cleo and Robecca, while Ghoulia moaned with profuse annoyance.

"Hi, Heath," said Cupid, "didn't see you come in."

"He's not supposed to come in!" said Robecca, "last time he walked into my father's lab, he set fire to a priceless copy of Einstein's original notes!"

"Hey, that was an accident!" said Heath.

"Then there was the time you set fire to one of my design portfolios," said Clawdeen.

"That was an accident too," said Heath.

"Then you set fire and blew up one of Ghoulia's experiments!" said Cleo, while Ghoulia nodded in agreement.

"Well…what can I say?" asked Heath, "I'm just that kind of guy, you know?"

"Oh, we know," said Cleo as she irately crossed her arms, "Frankie, would you be a dear and…"

"I threw him out last time," said Frankie.

"Don't look at me," said Clawdeen as she held up her bandaged and splinted hands.

"I have this," said Abbey as she stood up, limped over to Heath and grabbed him by the back of his jacket.

"Hey! Come on, Abbey!" exclaimed Heath as Abbey easily dragged him to the door of the workshop, "I hadn't even done anything!"

"None of the offending, Heath," said Abbey, "you do make me laugh and I like you, but you are not welcome here!" with that she tossed him out of the lab, with Heath landing in the catacombs outside.

"Was that really necessary?" Apple asked.

"If you know Heath Burns as I know him," said Cupid, "then you know best to keep him away from flammable materials, or at least have some fire extinguishers nearby."

"You're all as cold as ice!" shouted Heath from the catacombs.

"And you're too hot to trot," said Frankie as she walked over and closed the door.

... _The End Is Just The Beginning…_


	4. Chapter 3: Wake Up for Kiva!

**Chapter 3: Wake Up for Kiva!**

"Okay, where was I?" asked Frankie.

"You said something about the Fangire," said Apple, "which…are?"

"They're the ones that suck out your life energy until you're nothing but a transparent shell," said Dexter.

"Yeah, those things, they're creepy," said Clawdeen.

"Just how creepy?" asked Raven.

"Creepy enough to break this leg," said Abbey as she limped back to her chair and sat down.

"And hurt some more of us," said Frankie, "but I'm getting ahead of myself again. I need to tell you a bit about Ian, Lance and Jessie." She looked at Avery, "you were right about them coming from different worlds and being recruited by Alabaster to counter Obsidian. But there's more."

"Let me guess," said Tobias, "they all grew up in the same house on the same street, just in different realities."

"No," said Frankie, "not really."

"They all have completely different backgrounds and dreams for the future," said Clawdeen. "Lance is the heir to a good-sized fortune."

"Ian's studying to become a writer," said Frankie, "while Jessie has a part-time job at her uncle's garage."

"The one thing they have in common is their desire to do the right thing," said Robecca, "to uphold the values of truth, love and courage. That and to stop the Orphnochs from wiping out humanity."

"They didn't know why Obsidian wanted Draculaura's necklace," said Clawdeen, "or what The Star of Rosskarn was, but they agreed that under no circumstances were we to let the enemy have either."

"Good thing they showed up when they did," said Cupid.

"They got here a few months before that dingo Orphnoch attacked us," said Lagoona, "excuse me, Jackal Orphnoch."

"They fought and destroyed a few Orphoch before we ran into them," said Frankie, "and they helped us destroy a few more afterwards."

"There was a Coral Snake Orphnoch," said Clawdeen, "Jessie fought that one, and then Lance fought a Gecko Orphnoch."

"Three people as the same Rider?" Tobias asked.

"I already told you that they could only be Faiz for fifteen minutes," said Frankie.

"That doesn't really make much sense," said Avery, "why would Alabaster chose three people to be the same Rider? And again, why choose them only to be restricted by a time limit?"

"We don't know," said Frankie, "and Preston Chase doesn't know either, or he's keeping it to himself."

"Who?" Dexter asked.

"Preston Chase" said Frankie, "Ian, Lance and Jessie's liaison with Alabaster."

"We didn't have a liaison with Alabaster," said an annoyed Tobias, "we didn't need one."

"But these three do," said Avery, "again, why? What is going on with Alabaster?"

"They're ethereal blokes from beyond time and space," said Lagoona, "go figure."

"Did they at least talk about what forms Alabaster took when they were chosen?" Avery asked.

"Ask them yourselves," said Cleo, "they should be here soon, along with Siegfried."

"Who's Siegfried?" Raven asked.

"You'll meet him too," said Frankie, "now, about The Fangire. We first ran into them about a week after we met with Ian, Lance and Jessie. That was the day we really made progress in getting Hector back in shape."

"That thing's still a piece of junk," muttered Clawdeen.

"Anyway," said an annoyed Frankie as she ignored Clawdeen's comment, "there we were, trying to get back to our lives and forget, at least for a while, the horrible things out to get us, when…"

* * *

… _Monster High Auto Shop Classroom…A Few Weeks Ago…_

"Okay, the new battery and sparkplugs are in," said Deuce as he, Clawd and Jackson stood around Frankie's Cadillac Eldorado, the three boys wearing grease and oil-stained coveralls and wiping lubricant off of their hands.

"The carburetor and gears look good," said Jackson, "the oil and coolant have all been topped off and the exhaust system's as clean as we're gonna get it right now."

"I'd say we're ready to give The Lummox a go," said Clawd, earning a laugh from Draculaura, whom sat nearby with Clawdeen, Lagoona and Cleo, the three of them nursing their wounds.

"Don't call Hector that!" snapped an irate Frankie, whom stood with Ghoulia, Abbey and Gil, while also in the school garage was Ian, Lance and Jessie, whom were working on their armored SUV.

"Frankie, you're being irrational," said Jackson, "I mean, we've gotten your car as fixed up as we can, and I'm sure it'll run okay enough to be allowed back on the road, but…"

"But what?" asked Frankie as her neck bolts sparked, "you still don't believe in Hector, do you!"

"Is it normal for her to have faith in a car?" Lance asked as he and Ian bolted on a fresh piece of armor on the front bumper, "is it normal for Monsters?"

"I'm sure she's alright," said Ian as he used a ratchet to tighten the bolts, "there's nothing like having your first car. I remember my mom and dad taking me to get my first car. They wanted me to get a Prius. Instead I got a Ford F150 at a used truck dealership."

"My parents told me I could either get the car they picked out for me or have no car at all," said Jessie. "I got this abomination here." She then patted the armored SUV, "it was alright, until I was chosen by Alabaster and they said I could take it with me," she then grinned mischievously, "if only my folks could see what I've done with it."

"My parents won't even let me have a car," said Lance in a miserable tone, "they say it's too dangerous," he then laughed in a scoffing manner, "I then pointed out that mom's a motorcycle cop and dad drives a security truck."

"Dude, I thought you were rich or something," said Deuce.

"My spinster great-aunt is rich," said Lance, "she named me her heir, and my folks will do pretty much anything to make sure nothing happens to me and I get that fortune."

"I'm sure they're just worried about you," said Frankie. She then looked at her friends, "and I know you guys are worried about me and I'm glad you care. But this is my car and I believe that Hector can and will be the best car on the road if we just give him the chance."

"I'd agree with you, Frankie," said Clawd, "we all do, but…"

"But what?" an impatient Frankie asked.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"She's right," said Jackson, "there's just too many uncertainties. We still don't know what those buttons on the dashboard do."

"We'll never know if we don't try them," said Frankie as she walked over to the car and got into the driver's seat.

"At least the seatbelts didn't need replacing," said Gil as Frankie buckled up, "but there's no airbag."

"Cadillac didn't start putting airbags in their cars until the late 1970's," said Ian, "I've got a bad feeling about this.

"Frankie, as your best fiend and fellow driver," said Draculaura, "I humbly ask you to wait on this."

"At least until we can install an airbag in the steering column," said Clawd.

"I'm just starting the engine," said Frankie as she pulled the key from her pocket and put it in the ignition, "I'm not even going to put it in Drive. Honestly, you people, what's the worst that can happen?" she then turned the key and the motor could be heard moving, but refused to fully start.

"What?" Frankie asked. She then turned the key again, a determined look on her face as the engine still refused to start, "come on, Hector! I know you can do it!"

"At least it didn't blow up," said a relieved Clawd.

"I'm amazed she managed to get the car here from the dealership," said Gil.

"I don't get it," said Frankie as she got out of the car and popped open the hood, "what could have gone wrong?"

"Got a pencil?" asked a Clawdeen.

At that Frankie glared at Clawdeen, a look of annoyance on her face as her neck bolts sparked again. But then Frankie sighed and sat down on a nearby bench, "maybe you ghouls are right. Maybe I should just give up and hope I can get my money back somehow."

"Frankie, we're not trying to hurt you," said Lagoona as she sat down next to her, "we just didn't want you to get hurt."

"But sometimes you have to get hurt in order to learn something," said Clawdeen.

"Yeah, never take anything for granted," said Clawd.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Yes," said Cleo, "'especially if it's a used car.'"

"I wouldn't give up hope just yet," said Jackson as he bent up from examining the engine, holding a finger covered in peanut butter, "guess what I found in the carburetor?"

At that Frankie stood up, a look of utter outrage on her face as her neck bolts sparked furiously, "alright! I want to know which of you was eating peanut butter around Hector! I will find out!" she then grabbed Jackson and leaned close to smell his breath, "okay, you're clean. Gil! Get over here!"

"My breath always smells fishy!" exclaimed Gil as he backed away from Frankie, "and how could I possibly get a peanut butter sandwich past this?" he then tapped the glass helmet containing his supply of fresh water.

"Nobody's had lunch yet, Frankie," said Lagoona.

"Well, someone's been eating peanut butter," said Clawdeen as she sniffed the air,

"the nose knows."

"Hey, can I help it if I oversleep and forget breakfast every now and then?" asked Heath as he stood nearby, the remains of a peanut butter sandwich in his hand

"HEATH?!" exclaimed Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona and Cleo irately. Frankie then walked up to and began pushing Heath towards the doors out to the school corridors.

"What?!" asked Heath, "I'm sorry I gummed up your car, sorry!"

"Just be glad I don't make you clean the mess out of Hector with your tongue!" said Frankie as she shoved Heath out the door and slammed it shut."

* * *

… _Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"Frankie, I'm sure this is very fascinating and relevant to you," said Cupid, "but…"

"I know, I'm dragging things out a bit," said Frankie, "just be patient a little longer. Okay, I threw Heath out the classroom. Jackson and I then cleaned the peanut butter out of the carburetor and checked the rest of the engine for more. I was just about try starting Hector again, when…"

* * *

… _Monster High Auto Shop…A Few Weeks Ago…_

"Wait!" said Clawdeen as she sniffed the air, "does anyone else smell that?"

"Smell what?" Frankie asked impatiently as she got out of the car again.

"That smell!" exclaimed a disgusted Draculaura as she, Clawd and Clawdeen covered their noses with both hands, "it's horrible!"

"It is rather unpleasant," said Ian as he and the others made disgusted faces.

"But what is it?" asked Jessie.

"If you take a rotten egg, put it in a moldy shoe and burry it beneath a chicken coop," said Lance, "you're about halfway there."

"How do you know that?" Cleo asked.

"Can you keep a secret?" asked Lance.

"Of course," said a mildly insulted Cleo.

"So can I," said Lance.

"That still doesn't explain where this great stink is coming from!" said Deuce, while his hair snakes made angry hisses and tried to cover each other so they would smell the stench.

"Who wants to bet that Toralei's behind it?" asked Clawdeen.

"I resent that!" exclaimed Toralei. Everyone looked up and saw a certain tiger-striped Werecat lounging atop a metal tool cabinet. She then gracefully jumped off of the cabinet and landed neatly on her feet, "I was here the whole time, trying to figure out how to mess up Frankie's car when Heath beat me to it. I should have brought some peanut butter."

"Well, if you didn't do it, who did?" asked Frankie.

Just then the door opened and Rochelle ran into the room, _"Oh, mes chers amis!"_ exclaimed the Gargoyle from Scaris, "Headmistress Bloodgood is about to declare an evacuation of the school!"

"The whole school?" asked Frankie as she and the others hurried out the classroom and into the corridors, where the student body of Monster High was franticly trying to deal with the stench. Some were using wet paper towels as masks, while others had fashioned anything they could get their hands, claws, tentacles and whatnot to block out the stink.

Just then Bloodgood's voice could be heard over the intercom; "Attention Students of Monster High! This is your Headmistress speaking, and I say with whole heartedness that someone has pulled a vile prank on our beloved school, one done in emphatically bad taste!"

Everyone then heard a horse neighing uncomfortably.

"Yes, Nightmare, I know you're suffering, we all are," said Bloodgood, "anyway, all students and staff are to calmly but quickly exit the building. I promise you all that as soon as we're all in the fresh air and the authorities contacted, those responsible for this shall be punished with extreme prejudice! That is all."

"Who could have done this?" asked Frankie as she and the others headed for the nearest emergency exit.

"Becha it was something Holt set up," said Jackson. "Wait, no, a stink bomb isn't his style."

"It couldn't be Meowlody and Pursephony," said Clawdeen, "those two wouldn't even think of something without Toralei."

"Hey, my best fiends are _purrfectly_ capable of coming up with a prank on their own!" said an irate Toralei, "we're just used to doing things together, that's all. Besides, my feline senses tell me that no one at Monster High did it."

"Well, if that's true" said Cleo as they got outside and into the open air, with Draculaura opening her parasol to shield herself from the sun, "and that's a big if, then who did it?"

"I did," said a woman's voice from high above. Everyone looked up and saw a woman in her mid 20's wearing an electric pink dress with a green and orange hat standing atop the school roof.

"Who are you?" Cleo asked as she and the others looked up, "and who does your fashion designing? He or she needs more experience."

"I do my own designing," said the woman. She then jumped down from the roof as if taking a walk in the park, then strode up to Draculaura, "anyway, hand over the necklace."

"Oh, not another one!" exclaimed Lagoona.

"A Rider's work is never done," said Jessie pulled out the briefcase with the Faiz Gear.

"Listen, lady," said Clawd as he got in front Draculaura, "you're the fourth Orphnoch who wanted Draculaura's necklace. And we'll tell you the same thing we told the other three! You ain't getting it!"

"You dare compare me to those dullards!" exclaimed the woman in an outraged manner, "I am no Orphnoch, you furball freak!"

"Who are you calling furball freaks, lady!" exclaimed an irate Clawd, while Clawdeen growled and Toralei hissed, while at the same time Draculaura and the others looked angrily at the woman.

"I am calling you freaks, because that's what you are," said the woman, "as are Orphnochs."

"A self-hating Orphnoch?" Ian asked.

"I don't think this is an Orphnoch," said Gil.

"How right you are, fish boy!" said the woman as she smiled wickedly.

It was then that a pair of fang-like glass shards appeared above Gil and stabbed right through his water helmet, impaling him below the gills and causing him to cry out in agony as he collapsed to the ground.

"GIL!" exclaimed Lagoona as she rushed to his side. The shards then flew out from Gil as his helmet drained of water.

"What the bloody hell is happening!?" exclaimed Robecca as she and Venus ran over.

"He's…he's been…" said Lagoona as she examined the puncher marks on Gil but was surprised and confused to find no trace of blood.

"Look!" said Frankie as the glass fangs flew over and merged into the woman.

"Monster Energy," said the woman dryly, "it takes the edge off of the hunger, but nowhere near as satisfying as human Life Energy."

"Are…are you some kind of Vampire?" asked Draculaura.

"I am so much more than that," said the woman as stain glass patterns appeared on her skin. With a shimmer of energy, the woman transformed into a creature with features of a black widow spider in with stain glass patterns across its body.

"That ain't no Orphnoch!" exclaimed Jessie as she rapidly attached the laser pointer and camera knuckle duster to the belt and put it on.

"Is it that obvious!?" exclaimed Deuce as he shielded Cleo from the creature, "chill out, everyone. I've got this!" he then lowered his sunglasses. His eyes glowed green with petrifying energy as two beams shot out at the creature.

Yet the Black Widow-like creature simply deflected the beams with a wave of one clawed hand towards a nearby tree, turning it to stone.

"Uh, that's not good," said Deuce.

"It sure ain't," said Jessie as she pulled out the phone, opened it and dialed.

 **5 5 5**

 **STANDING BY**

The phone emitted its klaxon-like sound as Jessie closed it and raised it up. "Henshin!" she shouted as she brought the phone down and clicked it into place on her belt.

 **COMPLETE**

Red energy streamed out from the belt and with a flash of light, Jessie had become Faiz.

With a screech of fury, the Black Widow-like creature rushed at Faiz, whom rushed at it as well and the two began exchanging blows, yet from the start it was clear that the spider-like abomination had the advantage as it was able to block all of Faiz's attacks and land several damaging punches and kicks of its own.

"What are you doing, Jessie?!" shouted Ian, "I've seen you cream Orphnochs even on bad days!"

"I think we've made it clear that this isn't an Orphnoch," said Lance.

"Whatever it is, we can't let it win!" shouted Clawd as he rushed at the creature and grabbed it, yet it threw off his grip and punched him in the torso, all without breaking stride in its fight against Faiz. The spider-like abomination then began alternating between hitting Faiz and Clawd.

Rochelle then ran at the creature and landed a solid punch in its face, only to be kicked in the stomach.

"That's enough!" shouted Venus as she crouched down and placed her hands on the ground, sending out a wave of energy towards the Black Widow creature. Thorny vines sprouted from the ground and ensnared the creature.

"Venus…I…I didn't know you could do that," said an astonished Frankie.

"It just goes to show you not to mess with Mother Nature," said Venus as she stood up and brushed a stray lock of her hair into place.

Just then the ensnared creature gave a roar of fury and unleashed a wave of purple and black energy that hit everyone, knocking them to the ground as the dark energy sapped them of their strength.

Only Faiz was still standing as the creature tore its way free of the vines, yet the dark energy had disoriented Faiz enough that the creature ran up and punched her hard enough to knock Faiz down. With a flash of light, Jessie had powered down, the Faiz Belt falling off of her waist and landing a few feet away from her.

It was then that an image of the woman appeared on the stain glass patterns of the creature's body, "I commend your efforts, yet it was for naught. None of you are a match for me."

"How about me then!" shouted Toralei as she leapt from the tree branch she was hiding in, her claws extended and ready to inflict some damage, only for the creature to backhand Toralei in the face before she could even get close. Toralei landed hard on the ground and let out a mewling groan of pain.

"I guess cats don't always land on their feet," said the image of the woman.

* * *

… _Hexiciah Steam's Labortory…Present Day…_

"Good Grief!" exclaimed Cupid, "I didn't think anything could do a number on Toralei like that! She's not…"

"She's made a full recovery," said an annoyed Cleo, "apparently she has more than nine lives."

"Yeah, Toralei walks out of the hospital without a scratch and we still have weeks of recovery to go through," said Clawdeen, "assuming we do recover."

"I may just be able to rectify that," said Apple as she rummaged through her purse and pulled out a rainbow-hued bracelet and what appeared to be a soda can.

"What's that?" asked Dexter.

"Something I had to almost beg on my knees for to get," said Apple as she put the jeweled bracelet on her right wrist, "everyone kept getting hurt fighting The Worms, and there was only so much I could do with just a first aid kit and my own knowledge. So I asked my mother for this Bracelet of Restoration."

"I've heard of that!" said an astonished Raven, "it allows non-magic users to cast healing spells. But how did your mother get it?"

"I asked her when she gave it to me," said Apple. "My mother told me that when I take my place as Queen of the realm, I'll know the answer and so much more, and please don't ask me what I had to promise my mother in order for her to give it to me. I promised I wouldn't talk about it and I've said too much already. Now," she then looked at Clawdeen and the others whom were hurt, "who's first?"

"Uh…" said Clawdeen nervously, while Lagoona and Cleo looked uncomfortably unsure.

"All you ghouls are babies!" said Abbey as she limped over and sat down next to Apple, "do your worst, doctor princess!"

"Oh, please, just Apple," said the scion of Snow White as she made Abbey pull up her wounded leg and rest it on one of the chairs, "now…" she then looked at Frankie, "you never did say how Abbey hurt her leg."

"That happens later," said Frankie, "Do you want me to continue? Or do you need me to be quiet so you can concentrate on…whatever it is you're going to do."

"Any magic needs concentration," said Raven, "but as for healing magic…"

"I can focus on both," said Apple as she held her right hand over Abbey's leg and put her left hand beneath her right wrist, touching the bracelet with her thumb and forefinger, "now, this may feel strange at first, but if I do this right, you'll be feeling a lot better before you know it."

"You never done this before?" asked Abbey as Apple closed her eyes in concentration. The bracelet glowed with rainbow-hued light that flowed into her hand and shown down on Abbey's leg. The statuesque yeti gasped in surprise, but then sighed and smiled with relief, "oh, that feels good."

"I guess it works," said Cupid. She then looked at Frankie, "please, go on."

"Are you sure she's alright?" Frankie asked as she looked at Apple.

"As far as I know," said Raven in a concerned tone, "but she may not be. Magic requires physical stamina to work. If this item works the way I think it works, it could drain Apple of her energy and leave her exhausted."

"If there's one thing I know about Apple White is that she's got energy to spare," said Avery, "she'll be fine."

"And if not, there's this," said Dexter as he indicated the soda can, which happened to be filled with high-energy liquid.

"Enough prattling hither and thither!" exclaimed Maddie as she slammed her teacup into its saucer, "I want to hear more about the story!"

"Oh, right," said Frankie, "so, there we were, hit by this energy-draining stuff and Jessie had been forced to power down."

* * *

… _Monster High…A Few Weeks Ago…_

"Now, unless there's any further distractions," said the Black Widow Fangire as it stalked towards Draculaura. Clawd tried to shield himself in front of Draculaura, but the creature merely shoved him out of the way. The Black Widow Fangire then grabbed Draculaura by the front of her blouse and lifted her small frame up, dangling her a few feet in the air and in direct sunlight.

"NO!" shouted Cleo as Draculaura's skin began to emit steam, "she can't be in daylight for more than a few seconds!"

"Then she'd better tell me what I need to know," said the Black Widow Fangire. It then glared at Draculaura, "where's the necklace!?"

"I can't tell you that!" shouted Draculaura as furiously beat her fists against the arm of the creature, delivering minor but definite amounts of damage in the form of hairline cracks, yet the cracks mended themselves mere seconds after each impact.

"I'm sure you wouldn't," said the Black Widow Fangire. It then threw Draculaura towards a tree, causing her to land hard on the ground but in the tree's shade. Draculaura sighed with relief as the sun's rays ceased their effect on her body.

"You may be a crybaby weakling of a lesser vampire species," said the creature, "but you've got enough integrity and backbone to die for a cause if needed. I admire your courage, but your emotions will be your undoing."

It then walked over to Frankie as its glass fangs appeared. The creature grabbed and lifted up Frankie, the glass fangs hovering above her neck, ready to impale and drain Frankie of her life energy.

"I could suck you dry and render you a fragile shell just begging to be smashed," said the Black Widow Fangire. It then tossed Frankie down and then grabbed Clawd.

"NO!" shouted Draculaura as the creature prepared to stab Clawd with its glass fangs. But then the creature idly tossed Clawd towards Draculaura.

"Keep your filthy mutt of a boyfriend," said the Black Widow Fangire, "you'll need a solid shoulder to cry on before I'm done." It then grabbed Jessie and lifted her up.

"Don't you dare!" shouted Lance as he managed to grab the Faiz Belt but lacked the strength to put it on.

"After sucking on those two freaks, I need something to clean my pallet," said the Black Widow Fangire. It then looked at Jessie, "don't struggle; it'll make things easier for both of us."

"Go to hell, _Kaijin_!" snapped Jessie, whom then spat in the creature's face.

"Good, you've still got some fight in you," said the creature, "I prefer it that way."

Just as the glass fangs raised themselves slightly in preparation of stabbing Jessie, the sound of a rapidly approaching motorcycle could be heard.

The Black Widow Fangire looked and saw too late the approaching motorcycle, just as the front wheel hit it in the chest. The creature was knocked several yards back while dropping Jessie, whom was caught by the helmeted rider of the motorcycle.

"Are you alright?" the helmeted man asked in a slight German accent as he set Jessie safely down.

"I…yeah, I'm fine," said Jessie.

"Who are you?" asked Ian as he and the others began to recover from the energy drain.

"A friend and fellow champion of light," said the helmeted man. He took off his helmet, revealing a man in his late 20's with short sandy blond hair and greenish blue eyes. "But you can call me Siegfried."

"YOU!" shouted the Black Widow Fangire as it got back up, glaring hatefully at Siegfried, "How dare you strike me, you filthy human!"

"That's a laugh, coming from creatures that prey on humans," said Siegfried boldly as he got off the motorcycle.

"Uh…dude?" asked Deuce as Cleo helped him back up, "I don't mean to rain on your parade, but this thing just cleaned our clocks."

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but yeah, we're no match for that thing," said Ian, while Jessie and Lance reluctantly nodded.

"That's because you're using the wrong weapons against a Fangire," said Siegfried, "Kivat!"

Just then a golden bat flew out of nowhere and struck the Black Widow Fangire across the head with enough force to create sparks and nearly knock the creature down. The golden bat flew over and hovered around Siegfried's shoulder, where, upon closer inspection, revealed that it was made of metal yet alive.

"Well, here's another fine mess we're in Siegfried," said the bat, Kivat.

"Oh, how cute!" said a warmly smiling Frankie.

"Yes, he is adorable," said Cleo as she looked at Kivat with puzzled eyes, "but what is it?"

"My friend and partner," said Siegfried.

"Oh, of course," said Ian, "I should have known. Two different species of _Kaijin_ require two different Riders."

"He's a Kamen Rider too?" asked Gil as Lagoona helped him up.

It was then that everyone heard the Black Widow Fangire roar wrathfully as it regained its balance.

"I'd love to answer all your questions," said Siegfried, "but I've a pest to exterminate. Let's do it, Kivat!"

"You got it, partner!" said Kivat, _"Kivat Ikuze!"_

Siegfried then caught Kivat out of the air with his left hand and held the golden bat in front of his right hand.

" _Gabut!"_ shouted Kivat as he bit into the soft flesh between Siegfried's thumb and forefinger. A strange rising and falling whistle could be heard as a line of multi-colored stained glass patterns flowed from the bite up Siegfried's arm to his face and under his eyes.

From out of nowhere appeared several ghostly chains that circled around Siegfried's waist, morphing into a red belt that had six whistle-light objects in slots on the sides.

"Henshin!" said Siegfried as he turned Kivat upside down and clicked him into place on a bat-like slot on the front of the belt. A rippling wave of silver-like energy covered Siegfried, which then shattered, revealing Siegfried wearing a black body suit with silver and red armor and a helmet with bat-like features that had large yellow eyes.

"I knew it! Kiva!" said an astonished Ian as the bat-like Rider rushed at and began grappling with the Black Widow Fangire.

"Okay, what the fudge is going on here? Who is this guy!?" exclaimed Clawd as he and the others watched Kiva repeatedly punch and kick the Black Widow Fangire across the area, clearly having the advantage in the fight.

"Remember when we told you about being recruited by Alabaster to fight Obsidian?" asked Ian, "we're not the only ones."

"But I didn't think they'd send another Rider," said Jessie.

"We didn't think Obsidian would send another species of Kaijin," said Lance.

By now Kiva had delivered enough damage to knock the Black Widow Fangire back several paces in a disoriented state.

"Time to finish this!" said Kiva as he took one of the whistle-like objects from his belt and placed it in the mouth of Kivat.

"WAKE UP!" shouted Kivat as he detached himself from the belt and flew around Kiva, a flute-like melody sounding as he flew down and around Kiva's right calf. The calf armor then flew off, revealing a red section of the body suit that had bat-like whings.

All the while the whole area darkened as the illusion of a lunar eclipse appeared in the sky.

Kiva then rushed at and delivered a hard right kick to the torso of the Black Widow Fangire with enough force to send it slamming against the walls of Monster High, imprinting in the stonework a large bat-like symbol as the creature shattered.

From the destroyed remains of the Black Widow Fangire emerged a pulsating sphere of multi-colored energy that rose into the air as the darkness and eclipse illusion vanished

"That's the essence of a Fangire, its soul, if my knowledge of _Kaijin_ species serves me," said Lance as he and the others looked at the rising energy sphere, "we've got to destroy it before it has a chance to restore itself and regenerate the creature!"

"Already taken care of," said Kiva.

Just then something enormous loudly flew overhead our heroes and allies, followed by a distinctive roar.

"LOOK!" shouted Clawdeen as she pointed up at what turned out to be a large, purple scaled Wyvern that had, apparently, the body of a gothic castle.

The dragon with the castle-like body circled the area a few times before hovering in front of the disembodied Fangire soul.

"What are you waiting for?!" shouted Kivat, "Eat it already!"

With that the purple-scaled dragon leaned its long neck out, opened its mouth and swallowed the Fangire soul whole, before giving a satisfied roar and flying up and vanishing into a cloud.

"I swear, that guy's getting too lazy," said Kivat as Kiva powered down.

"I'd let him get all the exercise he could ever want," said Siegfried, "but you kept insisting that having a dragon flying around would only upset the general public."

"It'd scare the pants off of them, it would," said Kivat. The golden bat then noticed that Frankie and the others were looking at him and Siegfried with confused eyes. "I think we upset these guys too."

"We're not upset," said Frankie, "just…"

"Would someone please tell me what in the name of Osiris is going on?!" exclaimed Cleo, "who are you?! What was that spider creature!? And what pray tell was that dragon thing that looked like it should be holding royal balls for princesses?"

"That was Castle Doran," said Siegfried, "as for the rest, it's a long story."

* * *

… _Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"And boy, was it a long story," said a slightly exasperated Frankie, "it all started about thirty years ago, when…"

"Frankie, please," said a slightly more exasperated Cupid, "would you mind giving us the abridged version?"

"Don't do the abridged version!" said an offended Maddie, "You lose way too much detail that way."

"But the essential part is still told," said Raven, "I agree with Cupid, this is getting a little drawn out."

"I'm sure we would all love to one day sit down and hear every single aspect of the tale," said Tobias, "but if the situation with Draculaura is as serious as you lead us to believe, then time is of the essence."

"You are dragging things a bit, Frankie," said Cleo.

"But don't do the rushing of the story," said Abbey as Apple finished healing her leg, "take as much of the time as is the necessary." At that Apple leaned back and sighed with satisfied effort.

"You alright?" asked Raven.

"A little…winded, but fine," said a slightly out of breath Apple and sweaty, as if she had just finished a low impact but prolonged workout, "I just need a minute and I can work on the next injury."

"Then it worked?" asked Clawdeen as she, Lagoona and Cleo gathered around Abbey.

"Good as new," said Abbey as she eagerly bounced on her feet, then effortlessly walked around the room.

"Me next!" exclaimed Lagoona as she, Clawdeen and Cleo scrambled and got in each other's way to be the next one to receive healing from Apple.

"Broken hands before a black eye!" shouted Clawdeen.

"Royalty takes precedence!" exclaimed Cleo.

"Give her a chance to catch her breath!" snapped Avery as he got between the bickering Monsters and Apple.

"They'll sort things out," said Cupid as she looked at Frankie, "you were saying? And please try to shorten it."

"Okay then," said Frankie, "The short version. Siegfried told us he's from another world where humans and Fangire have been at war for centuries, but only recently managed a truce that Siegfried helped achieve. Turns out he not only married a Fangire princess in order to secure the peace, he's also half-Fangire himself."

"Really?" asked an intrigued Raven, "how'd that happen? Him being half-Fangire, and marrying a Fangire princess, that too."

"Long story short, Siegfried's mother was a Fangire princess," said Robecca, "she fell in love with a human, which apparently Fangire aren't allowed to do."

"This sounds eerily like the take of Kurenai Wataru," said Tobias, "but that's another tale for later. Anyway, I assume that, as Kiva, he fought on the side of the humans," said Avery, "and forced the Fangire into an armistice where the marriage was one of the conditions to peace between the two races."

"More or less," said Frankie, "anyway, Siegfried married the Fangire princess. They liked each other from the start, love blossomed and the next heir to the Fangire leadership was eventually born."

"He's got a kid?" asked an astonished Avery, "why would Alabaster recruit a Rider with a family?"

"Ian, Jessie and Lance asked him that too," said Clawdeen as Apple began healing her hands, while Cleo and Lagoona waited with eager impatience for their turn, "he told all of us that he has his reasons for coming."

"Well, at least he's here," said Avery, "truth be told, I actually feel better knowing that we have a more experienced Rider on our side."

"What do you mean 'experience?'" asked Raven, "I thought you guys knew what you were doing."

"We did, for the most part," said Avery, "but if you were to ask Dorothea and Madison, and somehow ask Jeffrey and Connor from beyond the grave, and even Clare, assuming she's still alive and willing to cooperate…"

"What he means is that half the time we were operating on instructions from Alabaster," said Tobias, "and half on our own instincts."

"Well, I'm glad it worked out when all put together," said Dexter, "we wouldn't be here if it weren't."

"And it's working out so far with Ian and the others," said Frankie. She then sighed and frowned, "but after what happened with Draculaura, I'm starting to doubt that things will work out at all."

"About that, just what the Tartarus happened to Draculaura?" demanded Cupid, "how did Valentine get his filthy hands on her?"

"You want to know? I'll tell you," said Frankie, "and believe me, when I'm done telling, you'll wish I hadn't."

… _The End Is Just The Beginning…_


	5. Chapter 4: Vacation Ruins

**Chapter 4: Vacation Ruins**

"Okay, the bad part actually starts pretty good," said Frankie, "after Siegfried showed up he helped fight and destroy a few more Fangire, while Ian, Jessie and Lance helped fight the Orphnoch that kept popping up."

"How come the two Riders couldn't fight the different Kaijin?" asked Raven. She then looked at Avery, "I'm sure as Kabuto you easily wipe the floor with an Orphnoch and a Fangire."

"Especially how you speed up and go 'ZOOM!' and 'WOOO!' all over!" said Maddie eagerly.

"Clocking Up isn't as simple as that," said Tobias, "but essentially, yes, I believe we could defeat other species of Kaijin if given the chance."

"It's been proven that different Riders can destroy different Kaijin types," said Avery, "Just look what happens whenever Kadoya Tsukasa stirs up trouble in his travels. Or whenever any Rider teams up with another."

"My favorite time was when Gaim teamed up with the other Heisei Riders," said Dexter, "the _Toqgers_ were there as well."

"Remind me to tell you all about the various _Super Sentai_ at some point," said Tobias.

"Right," said Raven in a slightly unsure tone, "but I don't get why this Faiz got creamed by that Fangire."

"We don't know," said Frankie, "and believe me, we're trying to find out."

"What do you think we've been doing in my father's workshop?" asked Robecca, "dusting the gears?"

"We did have to do a lot of cleaning," said Clawdeen, "a lot of the stuff in here hadn't been touched since Hexiciah Steam built them two hundred years ago."

"Ugh, do you have any idea how hard it was to get all that dust and cobwebs out of here?" asked a disgusted Cleo.

"All you did was wave a feather duster around for five minutes before you staggered out like a kangaroo trapped in a sandstorm," said Lagoona.

"I thought you'd be used to dust after being in a tomb for thousands of years," said Cupid to Cleo.

"We Egyptians may have made the desert out home," said Cleo in a boldly prideful tone, "but we prefer to keep our houses clean, even houses for the dead."

"Or you get someone else to clean them for you," muttered Clawdeen as Apple finished healing her hands. The up and coming designer werewolf hastily ripped the bandages off her hands and fingers, flexing them and was delighted to find no pain.

"No need to thank me," sighed Apple as she cracked open her energy drink, "well, you can thank me, but just seeing your smile and enjoy your healed hands is gratitude enough."

"Oh, you deserve way more than a smile," said Clawdeen, "as soon as I get the chance, I'm designing you a new outfit. In fact, I'm inspired to make a whole fashion line based on you ghouls from Ever After

"Oh, that's not necessary," said Apple modestly.

"Are you topsy-turvy, Apple!?" exclaimed Maddie, "she's drawing inspiration from us! Never deny someone's inspiration, least you crush the creative flower before it has the chance to reach for the sun and spread its glory for all to see!"

"Uh…right," said Clawdeen. She then looked at Apple, "We'll talk about that later."

"Of course," said Apple as she took a sip of her energy drink. She then sat up straight, with an eager smile on her face, "alright, who's next!"

"No more delays!" said Cleo as she sat down in front of Apple, "as one member of nobility to another, I insist that I should have been treated first!"

"You take your turn and like it," said Abbey, "is fruit princess alright? She looks ready to run up and down Himalayas."

"I'm just restored, that's all," said Apple as she pulled out a special plastic covering for her soda can and put it on.

"Oh, you're restored, alright," said a worried Avery as he picked up the soda can, "what's in this stuff?"

At that Apple swiped the can out of Avery's hand before he could read the label and put it back in her purse, "sorry, kingdom secret, you understand, don't you? Oh, don't mind me, everyone, I'm fine. Do go on with the story, Frankie."

"Uh…. okay," said Frankie, "anyway, we fought and destroyed more Kaijin that kept coming after us as time went on, all of them demanding Draculaura's necklace. And in all those attacks, we never found out where they were coming from, who was telling them to make our lives miserable or even why they wanted the stupid necklace in the first place."

"We had one close call that was so ghastly," said Clawdeen, "Draculaura wished she had never found the necklace, and she never gives up any of her stuff."

"You should see what we had to do for her locker," said Cleo, "but that's another story."

"But then the attacks stopped about two weeks ago," said Frankie, "on a Wednesday and nothing happened for two days. For a while we thought the baddies had given up and we could breathe easy again." She then frowned and looked down, "and boy, were we wrong."

"What happened, Frankie?" asked Cupid with anxious anticipation, "please, tell me."

"That day, that horrible day," said Frankie, "it actually started out great, for that was the day that we finally got Hector finished. You should have seen him; everything was perfect from the tires to the roof, from headlight to taillight."

* * *

 _…Monster High Auto Shop…two weeks ago…Friday…_

"He's turned over!" said Frankie as she sat behind the wheel of her car after successfully starting her it, the distinct sound of the car's engine rumbling could be heard throughout the garage as Clawdeen and the others stood nearby, "the engine, it's running!"

"Congratulations, Frankie," said Cleo as she and the others modestly clapped, "you've made lemonade out of a lemon."

"It's running! Can't you hear it?!" asked Frankie in a mildly deranged manner as she got out of the car, leaning over the Cadillac's hood, "It's running! The engine, it's running! He's alive! Hector's Alive!"

"Uh…Frankie?" asked Clawdeen nervously as she and the others looked on with worried eyes.

"He's alive! Hector's Alive!" shouted Frankie maniacally as she leaned against the car, her head tilted towards the heavens in rapturous joy, "He's Alive! ALIVE!" She then began laughing in a manner disturbingly similar to a certain mad scientist from who's creative genius lead to her own creation.

But then Frankie calmed down from channeling her grandfather and looked at her friends, whom were all looking at her as if she had truly lost her mind, "uh…sorry, everyone," said Frankie as she tried to laugh off her brief bout of madness.

* * *

 _…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"Don't try to laugh madness off!" said Maddie in an indignant tone, "you should embrace it! Make it your own! You'll never know what wonderful things can come from a single spark of insanity."

"Ummm…right," said Frankie, "anyway, I was so happy that Hector was running, I wanted to take him out on the road then and there."

"And Draculaura thought it was a great idea," said Lagoona.

"We all did," said Clawdeen, "It was the start of a three-day weekend and was still early in the day, but Draculaura wanted to go more than everyone else. In fact, she was all but bouncing off the walls."

"Where'd she want to go?" Cupid asked.

"Some out of the way tourist trap halfway to the beach," said Frankie, "which is where everyone else wanted to go."

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Yes, it was an unusual place for her to want to go," said Cleo, "but we know better now."

"We all packed up and drove to the beach for the weekend," said Frankie, "Ian, Jessie and Lace drove in their car, while Siegfried said he had to stay behind for a bit and check something out, but would catch up later.

"Everything was alright driving to the beach, especially driving Hector! He handled the highway perfectly, I was so happy!"

"I know, you couldn't stop smiling the whole way," said Robecca.

"Wish we had something to smile about," said Lagoona, "Me, Clawd, Gil and Draculaura drove with Jessie in her motor. The whole time over, Draculaura kept making waves about going to that bloody tourist trap. She almost tried to climb out the window when we passed the exit to where she wanted to go."

"I don't get it," said Cupid in a genuinely confused tone, "I know that Draculaura's a bit obsessive about some things and can act downright crazy sometimes, but what could possibly make her do that? What was at that tourist spot that she was so desperate to see?"

"Some weird castle some eccentric Normie billionaire tried to build back in the 1920's," said Cleo.

"The bloke supposedly lost everything when the Stock Market crashed," said Lagoona, "leaving the place unfinished."

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Oh, sorry, he started building it before WWII," said Lagoona, "and the bloke disappeared after the war."

"Why am I suddenly thinking of 'Citizen Kane?'" asked Avery.

"I'm thinking more along the lines of Howard Hughes," said Tobias.

"They didn't build the place," said Lagoona, "I forget which bloke it was, but the place remained a curio for tourists for a while, and Draculaura was ready to punch the door out and make a jump for it when the motor was going over 60 mph. She finally calmed down when Clawd promised that we visit the bloody place on the way back."

"We got to the beach in time for lunch, set up a volleyball net and were ready for an afternoon of fun in the sun," said Frankie, "followed by dinner on the beach, sleep at the motel we rented rooms at, then another day at the beach, then head back home on Sunday. It would have been a great day."

"But Draculaura just couldn't sit still," said Cleo, "she was pacing back and forth along the beach like a camel with too much water in its hump."

"I'll take your word for it," said Cupid.

"I thought vampires burned in direct sunlight," said Raven, "so going to the beach on a sunny day would be the last place for her."

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Yes, you do get props for inventing that special sunblock for vampires," said Cleo.

"We kept asking her what was wrong," said Frankie, "and Draculaura kept insisting that we had to go to the castle tourist spot. When we asked why, she said she didn't know but that she had to be there. It was as if every fiber of her being was screaming at her to go to this abandoned castle and it was driving her nuts."

"We all debated if we should head back home and take Draculaura to her doctor," said Clawdeen, "or go see what was so special about that crummy castle."

"But then Draculaura did something unforgivable," said Lagoona, "at least in Frankie's eyes."

"She grabbed Hector's keys and drove off with him," said an annoyed Frankie as she crossed her arms, her neck bolts sparking with her angst, "I know she was upset and didn't understand what was happening to her, but did she have to steal _my_ car? Honestly, why'd it have to be _MY_ car?"

"Well, she couldn't very well steal Jessie's car," said Clawdeen, "that heap has a kill switch or something. Seriously, Jessie's the only one who can get that thing started."

"Everyone else's cars have special anti-theft measures," said Cleo. She then looked at Frankie, "we could have installed the same security system on Hector, but you just had to take him out for a road trip then and there."

"I got Hector back," said Frankie stubbornly.

"And we lost Draculaura in the process!" exclaimed Clawdeen. She then looked at Cupid, "anyway, as soon as Draculaura pulled a GTA on Frankie's car, we all drove after her."

"It's not like she could get away," said Cleo, "We knew where we were going."

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Yeah, 'Ryan's Folly,'" said Cleo, "a place that will live in Monster infamy."

* * *

 _…Ryan's Folly…two weeks ago…Friday…_

"Hector!" exclaimed Frankie as she jumped out of Jessie's SUV and ran across the parking lot to where her car was double parked. "Are you alright?" she asked as she lovingly stroked the Cadillac's hood, "did you get scratched? Did that crazy vampire get you scratched?"

"It's official, Frankie's gone off the deep end for real this time," said Lagoona as she, Gil, Cleo, Deuce, Clawdeen, Clawd, Howleen, Twyla, Jackson, Abbey, Ghoulia, Jessie, Ian and Lance, exited their vehicles and looked at their friend.

"Never mind Frankie!" exclaimed Clawd franticly, "where's Draculaura?"

"There!" shouted Jessie as she saw Draculaura running up a path from the parking lot to a massive, incomplete castle crumbling into ruins atop a nearby hill.

"So this is what Andrew Ryan tried to build before the Second World War," said Jackson as he and the others hurried up the path towards the castle, "he spent millions on it and never finished."

"Whatever happened to that guy?" asked Deuce, "I heard he was some kind of industrial bigwig."

"He supposedly foresaw the dangers of nuclear weapons and went into hiding," said Jackson, "some say he built a massive underwater city in the North Atlantic to preserve humanity in the event of World War 3, but that's just an urban legend."

"It'd better be an urban legend," said Lagoona, "I've got cousins in the North Atlantic, and if some Normies decided to build a city down there, they'd know about it."

By now they had reached the outer walls of the castle and found Draculaura franticly tearing through the incomplete stonework.

"Where is it!?" exclaimed Draculaura as she ripped large pieces out of the wall, "where is it?!"

"Where's what?" asked Frankie as she and the others cautiously walked closer, "Draculaura, what are you looking for?"

At that Draculaura looked at her friends with tears of emotional anguish falling from her distraught eyes, "I…I don't know!" she wailed, then collapsed to the ground, sobbing her heart out as Clawd rushed over and held her in his arms.

"Dude, this is pretty fudged up right now," said Deuce to Jackson.

"Ain't that the truth," said Jackson.

"It's going to be alright, Draculaura," said Clawd, "I don't know how, but it's going to be alright."

"I don't even know why I came to this place," sobbed Draculaura, "it's like…like some horrible feeling pulled me here to find something but…but…I don't even know what it is! But I've got to find it! I don't know why, but I feel that something terrible is going to happen if I don't find it!"

"Some sort of psychological disturbance?" said Lance to himself, "a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?"

"Don't get me started on Draculaura's problems," said Cleo.

"I'm serious," said Lance, "I'm no expert on vampire psychology, but perhaps this is an issue with Draculaura that's gone untreated for centuries."

"Well, she is over 1600 years old," said Jessie, "for all we know, this could be a mental disorder, like autism."

"I beg your problem!" snapped Cleo as she walked up to Jessie, a look of utter outrage on her face, "you dare to suggest that one of my best ghoulfriends is autistic without even so much as talking to a doctor?! What gives you the right to make such a determination?!"

"My sister back home is autistic," said Lance, "she has Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD, plus a whopping case of OCD. She takes her medication and goes to therapy and for the most part lives a perfectly average life, but God help her when she does forget to take her meds."

"Let's just get Draculaura out of here and to someone who can help," said Lagoona.

"Oh, no, don't do that," said Irvin as he emerged from behind a nearby tree and walked up to our heroes, "then you'd all be denied the chance to see what is drawing your dear vampire friend, while she will be denied the satisfaction of finding that which has been preying on her poor psyche."

He then approached Draculaura, "you don't want that, Ms. Draculaura? You wouldn't want to be left with a horrible sense of unfulfillment, do you?"

"Excuse me, but who the friggin hell are you?" asked Clawd as he stood up and stood between Draculaura and Irvin.

"That's a very good question, young werewolf," said Irvin as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, "Irvin U. Weis, of the Obsidian Council, at your service, or rather, this darling vampire's service to be exact. I already know who you all are."

"Son of a bitch," said Ian irately as Lance ran back towards the cars, "I should have known one of Obsidian's proxies would show up."

"He works for the enemy?!" asked Frankie.

"Of course, it makes sense now!" said Twyla.

"What makes sense?" asked Howleen.

"I've been getting this feeling that someone's been watching us from the shadows," said Twyla, "at first I thought it was the Orphnoch and Fangire, but it wasn't the Kaijin! It was the one controlling them!"

"I admit, working with two different species of Kaijin has proven difficult," said Irvin, "but in my line of business, the ends always justify the means."

"Okay," said Frankie cautiously as she and the others stood around Draculaura, "you know us and we know your name, but what do you want?"

"I want what Draculaura wants," said Irvin, "I want what her instincts are screaming at her to find."

"And just what is it that Draculaura's instincts want her to find?" Lagoona asked.

"An item similar to the necklace she found not too long ago," said Irvin.

"Always with that stupid necklace?!" snapped Clawd, "what is wrong with you people?! You want a necklace? Go buy one!"

"If only it were that simple," said Irvin, "no, these items are special, more special than you can possibly imagine."

"Try us," said Cleo boldly.

"You might as well know," said Irvin, "you're going to die anyway. The necklace, as well as the item hidden in this failed castle, they're part of a set of nine items that form The Star of Rosskarn."

"That thing again?" asked Frankie as Ghoulia pulled out her iCoffin and brought up the app for Google.

"You won't find it in any online search engine," said Irvin, "and I estimate that the number of books in this world that even mention the name Rosskarn can be counted on one hand."

"And Obsidian wants this Star of Rosskarn," said Jessie, "but for what? To conquer more worlds? To plunge countless innocent hearts into darkness? To hasten the arrival of Kralizec?"

"I'd say one or all of the above," said Irvin, "or none of the above. It's really none of your business."

"You said you were going to tell us," said Cleo.

"I lied," said Irvin, "but I didn't lie about the fact that you're all as good as dead. Well, I did sort of lie about that part. Since Draculaura is pretty much the only one who can sense the pieces of The Star of Rosskarn, I'll need to take her with me, after she's found the piece hidden in the castle, of course."

"Over our dead and undead bodies!" shouted Clawd.

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Irvin as a dozen people walked into the area on either side of Frankie and the others; one side was had six gray-clad Orphnoch, the other six outlandishly dressed Fangire.

"Leave this to us, Mr. Weis," said one of the Fangire, "we'll have these pubescent mutants out of the way in no time, no need to get the dullards involved.

"Oh really!?" exclaimed one of the Orphnoch, "as if you eyesore idiots could get the job done!"

"Our kind have been at this for centuries!" exclaimed one of the Fangire, "we are perfectly capable of eliminating these pubescent pests!" at that its comrades nodded and voiced their agreements.

"So are we!" said one of the Orphnoch, at which its comrades nodded in agreement. "So far you bastards have failed miserably! You couldn't even get one stupid little vampire to cough up a necklace!" At that the other Orphnochs shouted their agreements.

"Right back at you, you gray geeks!" shouted another of the Fangire. With that the stain glass patterns appeared on it and the other Fangire, followed by them transforming into their true, Kaijin forms. Two of them had features of Sea Lions, two had features of Burmese Pythons, while the last two had features of Coyotes.

"Bring it!" shouted one of the Orphnoch as the gray patterns appeared on it and the others, followed by the creatures assuming their own true, Kaijin forms. Two had features of centipedes, two had features of ferrets, while the last two had features of tiger sharks.

"Oh, goody," said Cleo as the two groups of Kaijin squared off against each other, "you're going to fight."

"Damn right we're going to fight!" shouted one of the Coyote Fangires, "these gray gooks have disrespected the noble race of Fangire for the last time!"

"YEAH!" shouted the other Fangire.

"And these life sucking freaks have gone too far too!" shouted one of the Ferret Orphnochs, "it's time someone taught them a little respect!"

"YEAH!" shouted the other Orphnoch.

"Oh for the love of the darkness," said an annoyed Irvin, "Xander!"

With that a man wearing black warlock robes appeared from nowhere and raised a hand glowing with dark magic.

Almost instantly, the twelve Kaijin gasped in agony as rings of dark magic appeared around them, causing them to stumble and nearby fall over.

"Must I remind you fools just who is in charge of this little alliance of ours?" asked Irvin irately, "must I remind you all of the pledge of loyalty you and your fellows took when we began this little endeavor? Now stop acting like uncivilized street gangs brawling over territory and get serious! You're supposed to be professionals!"

At that the Shadow Acolyte, Xander, lowered his hand and the dark magic tormenting the twelve Kaijin ceased.

"You're right, Mr. Weis," said one of the Burmese Python Fangire as it and the other creatures recovered. It then glared at the Orphnochs, "we are professionals."

"We can settle our differences later," said one of the Centipede Orphnoch as it and its fellow Orphnochs glared at the Fangire, "but for now, we have some teenagers to torment."

"Over my dead body!" shouted Lance as he ran back into the area, the Faiz Belt already around his waist and the Faiz Phone in his hand.

"One Rider against twelve Kaijin!" said Irvin boldly as the six Orphnoch and six Fangire stood together a dozen paces in front of Lance, "I almost feel sorry for you. Well…almost."

"Then allow me to even the odds a bit!" said Siegfried as he walked into the area with Kivat perched on his shoulder.

"Ganging up on a bunch of kids, said Siegfried, "have you Obsidian fiends no shame!? Have you no decency!?"

"Those words aren't even in their vocabulary," said Kivat.

"You'd be surprised what was in my vocabulary," said an irate Irvin, "so, two Riders to counter two species of Kaijin. Alabaster is certainly on the ball this time. But it matters not. You're still outnumbered and outclassed."

At that Ghoulia moaned something as she held up her phone triumphantly.

"I told you that you couldn't find Rosskarn online, you brainless zombie!" shouted Irvin.

"She didn't search for Rosskarn," said Cleo, "she got a text message from our friends whom are coming to help!"

"Who's coming to help?" Frankie asked.

As if in answer, one of the Monster High school busses drove into the area at high speed, smashing into the twelve Kaijin and knocking the creatures down.

The bus door opened up and from it emerged Toralei, followed by Meowlody and Purrsephony, "sorry we're late, everyone," said the tiger-striped werecat, "I had to borrow the keys from Mr. Hack."

"Toralei!?" asked a confused Clawdeen.

"And us!" said Rochelle as she, Robecca, Heath, Venus, Robecca, Manny, Iris, Romulus, Braham and Gory, all piled out of the bus.

"You guys!" shouted Frankie joyfully.

"You didn't honestly expect to take on a bunch of evil monsters and leave us out of it, right?" asked Romulus as he cracked his knuckles.

"Well, isn't this a fine turn of events," said Irvin as the six Orphnoch and six Fangire picked themselves up. He then glared at the dozen Kaijin, "and you call yourselves professionals!"

"It's not our fault, Mr. Weis!" whined one of the Sea Lion Fangire.

"I don't want to hear it!" snapped Irvin, "just bring me Draculaura and kill the other brats!"

"Not today, Jackass!" shouted Lance as he began dialing.

 **5 5 5**

 **STANDING BY**

"Henshin!" shouted Lance as he raised the klaxon-emitting phone, then lowered and clicked it into place on his belt.

 **COMPLETE**

Red energy streamed out from the belt and with a flash, Lance transformed into Faiz.

" _Kivat Ikuze!"_ shouted the golden metal bat as he was caught by Siegfried's left hand, then bit his right, _"Gabut!"_

A line of stain glass patters flowed up to Siegfried's face as the ghostly chains appeared, materializing into his belt.

"Henshin!" said Siegfried as he clicked Kivat into place into the belt. With a shimmer of energy and shatter of glass, Siegfried transformed into Kiva.

"Get them!" shouted Irvin, at which the twelve Kaijin rushed forward. Joining Kiva against the Fangire was Gory, Braham, Romulus, Heath and Abbey, while joining Faiz against the Orphnochs were Robecca, Rochelle, Venus, Manny, Toralei and the werecat twins.

"Okay, now would be a good time to get Draculaura the fudge out of here!" said Jessie as she, Ian, Frankie, Clawdeen, Howleen, Twyla, Clawd, Lagoona, Gil, Cleo, Deuce and Ghoulia, clustered around Draculaura.

"We can't leave our friends to fight those things alone!" shouted Frankie as she watched Faiz, Kiva and the others battle the Kaijin.

"They're fighting so we can escape," said Jessie, "I'd expect you all to do the same thing if it were my turn to be Faiz.

"Besides, a lot of us aren't exactly in top form today, Frankie," said Lagoona.

"Speak for yourself!" exclaimed Cleo, "my arm's still broken! All you have is a black eye that you gave yourself!"

"I didn't give myself anything!" snapped Lagoona as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "I won it!"

"You can take these broken hands that I won off of me," said Clawdeen in a sarcastic manner.

"Well, we can't just stand around here with our hands in our pockets," said Deuce, "I'm going in!" with that he rushed ahead and joined the fray against the six Fangire, lowering his shades and catching one of the Coyote Fangire with a blast of his petrifying gaze. The green beams hit the creature yet only turned it a few shades of gray, yet also slowed it down enough for Braham and Romulus to grab the creature's arm, their supernatural strength restraining the life-sucking abomination. Gory then ran in and, with her own vampire strength, delivered a graceful kick to the creature's head with enough force to shatter it into countless shards of glass, from which rose the pulsating soul of the Fangire.

"Thanks, Deuce!" said Romulus, "I owe you one!"

"As if we needed his help," said Braham smugly, only to be sucker punched by one of the Burmese Python Fangire.

"I'm going too!" shouted Howleen as she rushed towards the fray against the Orphnoch.

"Howleen!" shouted Clawdeen and Clawd as they watched their little sister grab one of the Tiger Shark Orphnochs, only for the creature to shrug her off and kick her with enough force to knock the young werewolf down.

"Hang on, Howleen!" shouted Clawd, "I'm coming!" he then ran in and tackled the Tiger Shark Orphnoch to the ground, then got up, grabbed the creature, lifted it over his head and threw it towards Rochelle and Robecca. Rochelle delivered a stone-hard punch to the creature, followed by Robecca inflicting a steam-powered kick.

Venus then ensnared the creature with several summoned vines, trapping it in place.

"RAMMING SPEED!" bellowed Manny as he charged at the ensnared Orphnoch, hitting it with enough force to rip it free of the vines and send it flying several yards away. It landed hard on the ground, burst into blue flames and collapsed into dust.

"I think we're winning!" shouted Heath as he and Abbey alternately blasted a Sea Lion Fangire with fire and ice.

"Not just yet!" said Toralei as she dodged one of the Ferret Orphnochs, then got behind and delivered a double claw slash that inflicted a considerable amount of damage, followed by a quadruple claw slash from Meowlody and Purrsephony.

Faiz then took off the data chip from the phone, as well as the camera-like knuckle duster, inserting the chip into the weapon and placing it onto his right fist.

 **READY**

Faiz then pressed the Enter button on his phone.

 **EXCEDE CHARGE**

A pulse of red energy flowed out from the phone and up to Faiz's fist, concentrating into the knuckle duster. He then rushed at the Ferret Orphnoch and delivered a devastating punch to the creature's face, knocking it to the ground. A red circle with a diagonal line through it appeared as the creature burst into blue flames and crumbled into dust.

At the same time, Kiva inserted the finisher whistle into Kivat's mouth as the golden bat detached from the belt and flew around Kiva's right calf.

"Wake Up!" shouted Kivat as the flute-like melody sounded and the armor and chains burst off of Kiva's calf, revealing the red form and bat-like wings.

"Here's one for you, man!" shouted Romulus as he, Graham and Gory grabbed one of the Burmese Python Fangire and tossed it into the air.

Kiva then leapt into the air as the sky darkened and a lunar illusion appeared. He then delivered a flying kick that shattered the Burmese Python Fangire, the creature's pulsating soul rising up and out of sight.

"Oh, you miserable pieces of repugnance!" shouted Irvin as the remaining Fangire and Orphnoch backed away from the two Riders and their Monster allies, "what am I paying you people!?"

"Obviously not enough," said Frankie.

At that Irvin looked mad enough to join the fray, but he took several calming breaths, "it matters not. This is but a slight delay in the plan. In the end, Obsidian will get what it wants!"

At that the black-robbed dark magic user produced a cloud of black smoke that left our heroes coughing and unable to see. When the wind blew the smoke away, not only was Irvin and the Shadow Acolyte gone, the remaining Kaijin had vanished as well.

"Oh, come on!" complained Toralei, "it's over already? I was just getting warmed up!"

"Be glad it's over so soon," said Siegfried after he and Lance powered down, "I doubt we could have fought much longer."

"We might have taken out another two of each Kaijin," said Lance, "but it was only a matter of time before that Obsidian Proxy, Irvin Weis, before he called in reinforcements."

"He was able to get twelve Orphnoch and Fangire in one place and work together," said Ian, "not an easy feat."

"He's got plenty more Kaijin where they came from," said Jessie.

"Well, I'm glad it's over for now," said Frankie. She then looked at Siegfried, "but how did you know to come here?"

"That would be Spectra's doing," said Iris as she ran up to and hugged Manny, "I don't know how she did it, but she managed to figure out that the enemy would be waiting here for us."

"She texted us and we came to help," said Rochelle, "she told us exactly where and when we were needed."

"But how did she know?" asked Jackson, "I know she's a great journalist, but still, how'd she figure out what the enemy was planning."

"We asked her how she knew," said Venus, "and you know what she told us?"

"No, what?" asked Clawdeen.

"'I'll tell you later,'" said Venus, "that's what she said."

"We'll ask her again when we see her," said Frankie, "in the meantime, thanks for coming, all of you."

"We're just lucky that Toralei knows how to drive a school bus," said Manny.

"I'm just lucky that Mr. Hack is an idiot," said Toralei.

At that everyone heard Clawd grunt in pain, followed by something small running past them towards the castle.

"Draculaura!" shouted Frankie as she, Abbey and Venus ran after their friend.

"She shoved me!" said Clawd as he lay on the ground, an astonished look on his face, "Draculaura, she shoved me!"

* * *

 _…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"She actually shoved Clawd?" a shocked and appalled Cupid asked, "whatever was tugging at her heartstrings must have been a real dozy."

"You don't know the half of it," said Cleo as Apple finished healing her broken arm. Apple sighed with exhaustion, then took another sip of her energy drink.

"Go easy on that stuff, you weren't exactly at 100% when we got here," said Raven.

"Neither were you," said Apple, "I won't say a word to Dr. Anderson back home if you won't."

"I think I've had too much of an influence on you," said Raven.

"Just as a bit of me has rubbed off on you," said Apple. She then looked at Lagoona, "now, about that black eye of yours."

"Fire away, mate," said Lagoona as Apple began healing the bruising around her eye.

"Well, I hope you're ready for it, Cupid," said Frankie, "cause here's the worst part."

* * *

 _…Ryan's Folly…two weeks ago…Friday…_

Frankie, Venus and Abbey chased Draculaura through the half completed castle, into the desolated courtyard and up the stairs of one of the unfinished towers. The three ghouls were running so hard to keep up with Draculaura that when the vampire stopped abruptly, Frankie and the others kept running up the stairs, nearly falling over each other as they turned around to go back down.

They found Draculaura digging through the stonework and pulling out a small wooden box from a hidden hollow in the wall.

"Is that it?" asked Venus asked as they looked at the box, "is that what's gotten your roots in a tangle?"

Draculaura took a bracing breath as she opened the box, but then gave a shriek of rage as she threw it against the wall. The box shattered into splinters, and nothing more.

"It was empty?" asked Frankie, "after all that…just for an empty box?"

But then Draculaura stood up straight and looked away, as if sensing something. She then dashed down the stairs.

"Here we go again!" said Frankie as she, Abbey and Venus ran after Draculaura.

"Let me put the deep chill on her!" said Abbey, "a little ice on her feet and no more running away."

"No, you might hurt her!" said Venus, "and make the stairs slippery for us!"

They ran outside the tower and nearly tripped over each other as they stopped suddenly at the sight of Draculaura standing in the middle of the courtyard. Yet what really stopped the three ghouls was the sight of a familiar male vampire standing a few paces in front of Draculaura, a sparkling ring on his finger that had Draculaura's complete attention.

"Valentine!" exclaimed Frankie.

"Ah, Ms. Stein," said Valentine in a pleasant tone, "how lovely to see you again, and Ms. Bominable, though I don't know your flora friend."

"I don't know who you are, pal," said Venus irately, "but get away from Draculaura!"

"I would," said Valentine as he took the ring off his finger and held it out to Dracularua, "but I have the feeling that she wants to be with me now."

At that Draculaura ran forward and grabbed the ring from Valentine's hands. She held in her hands, a look of triumphant adoration on her face.

"As they say," remarked Valentine smugly as he placed his arms around the blissfully unaware Draculaura, "the proof is in the pudding!"

"You son of rabid yak!" shouted Abbey as she, Frankie and Venus rushed in, only for a smirking Valentine burst into countless black bats that swarmed the area, disorienting the three ghouls as they fought to keep the vermin away from their faces.

But then the bats abruptly vanished, and with them Draculaura. In their place was a red Valentine's Day card with a black broken heart on the front.

* * *

 _…Hexiciah Steam's Laborotory…Present Day…_

"You were right, Frankie," said a disgusted Cupid, "I hated that part."

… _The End Is Just The Beginning…_


	6. Chapter 5: Love's Betrayal

_**Chapter 5: Love's Betrayal**_

… _Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…_

"Remind me again who this jerk Valentine is?" asked Dexter as he cleaned his glasses.

"Draculaura's old boyfriend," said Clawdeen.

"He came back in her life just before her 1600th birthday," said Lagoona, "worming his way like an eel after a tasty morsel."

"He seduced her heart," said Cleo, "all in order to fill it with so much love that when he broke it, it would break in half!"

"He just wanted it to crack and added it to his collection of broken vampire hearts," said Clawdeen, "and he would have gotten away with it if it weren't for all of us."

"And Toralei helped him almost get away with it!" said Cleo irately.

"And you paid me back by dumping me and Valentine in that horrible slime pit!" said Toralei as she lounged atop one of the large devices in the lab, "It took me weeks to get the stench out of my fur."

"You deserved it after stealing my special love crossbow!" said Cupid as she looked up at Toralei, "and how long have you been there?"

"Long enough to catch up with resent events," said Toralei. With that she gracefully leapt down to the floor and slinked over to Raven, Apple and the others from Every After, "so you're Cupid's Normie friends from that other world. What, are we Monsters not enough to take care of this little problem?"

"We wouldn't be in this situation if we weren't enough," said Clawdeen irately, "and put that down! Remember the last time you fooled around in here?"

"I wasn't doing anything," said Toralei innocently as she idly placed a random gadget she was fiddling with back on a nearby table.

"Sure you weren't," said Cleo.

"Okay, so, Valentine took Draculaura," said Cupid, "but why? What's his endgame? Frankie, you told me that Valentine turned Draculaura evil, but I thought he only wanted her to add her broken heart to his collection."

"That's what we thought as well when he took her," said Frankie, "especially Clawd."

"You should have seen him when we told him what happened," said Clawdeen, "he was mad enough to tear the world apart, if it meant getting Draculaura back."

"But then we cooled him down enough to realize that Valentine's showing up was no coincidence," said Lagoona.

"That and heartbreaking vampire having sparkly ring Draculaura wanted," said Abbey, "was not coincidence either."

"What kind of ring?" Avery asked.

"It better not have been an engagement ring," said an irate Cupid.

"A ring with a very large diamond set into it," said Frankie, "and I sincerely doubt it was an engagement ring."

"If only I had seen it for myself," said Cleo, "to think something so beautiful as a diamond was in the hands of that piece of jackal dung, Valentine."

"That beautiful diamond may just well be one of nine diamonds," said Robecca, "the necklace Draculaura found had a big diamond in it, so it's a distinct possibility that the other seven pieces of The Star of Rosskarn, whatever that is, the other seven are diamonds."

"Now what could Obsidian want with diamonds?" asked Tobias.

"To live forever?" asked Maddie, "that's what diamonds are, you know."

"Uh…right," said Frankie, "anyway, we tried to look for Draculaura but no luck there."

"Obviously," said Cupid, "did Valentine send any kind of message?"

"Or Irvin Weis for that matter," said Avery, "a ransom note or any form of communication?"

"Nothing," said Frankie, "not for a whole week."

"What about the authorities?" asked Dexter, "why didn't you call the cops or something?"

"Yeah, what about that?" asked Cupid irately, "Valentine kidnapped Draculaura, so why didn't you call the police or the MBI?"

"'Monster Bureau of Investigations,'" said Lagoona to Raven and the others from Ever After.

"Well, why didn't you call the authorities?" asked Raven.

"We did call the authorities!" said an exasperated and annoyed Frankie, "I may not be that old, but I'm not stupid!"

"Remind me how many days old you are again?" asked Toralei, "I want to remember when your birthday is so I can forget to send you a card."

"You never remember anyone's birthday," said Clawdeen, "not even your own!"

"How sad to not even celebrate one's own birthday," said Cleo.

"I never had much reason to," said Toralei as she eyed her nails.

At that Frankie's neck bolts sparked, "well, we'll just have to do something about that, won't we?" she asked as she smiled eagerly

"What do you mean?" asked Toralei suspiciously.

"We're gonna celebrate your birthday," said Frankie, "Ghoulia? Find out when Toralei's birthday is, then start planning to celebrate it next week."

At that Ghoulia moaned in confusion.

"What the heck are you talking about, Frankie?" asked Clawdeen.

"Is this really the time to plan an un-birthday party?" asked Lagoona.

"Anytime's a time to plan an un-birthday party!" said Maddie eagerly.

"Frankie! Focus!" snapped Cupid, "focus on Draculaura!"

"Huh? Oh!" said Frankie as she blinked, "oh, sorry, I didn't mean to get distracted. I mean, things have been so bad and gloomy recently, I thought a little happiness might do us all some good."

"It would but not right now," said Cupid.

"You're right," sighed Frankie, "anyway, we did call the authorities, but all they did was offer a bunch of empty promises and words. Not even Draculaura's father, Dracula, _the_ Dracula, he's too busy with his businesses to help."

"To think that the same Dracula who once ruled the night," said Cleo, "now seeks to rule the world economy. Assuming _my_ father doesn't get there first."

"So, you guys were on your own?" asked Apple, "no one else was helping?"

"Oh, we've had some help," said Robecca, "the entire student body of Monster High offered to help."

"And Headmistress Bloodgood," said Clawdeen, "she promised to do all she could."

"Which means little if any good," said Toralei.

"Don't you have anything better to do than drag things down?" asked Clawdeen, "we're all feeling bad enough as it is."

"Well, pardon me for being realistic," said Toralei irately, "we've been getting our tails kicked lately," she then looked at Apple, Avery, Raven, Dexter, Maddie and Tobias, "and frankly, I don't see how these weirdo Normies can help."

"Just you wait, we'll show you what we can do to help," said Raven. She then looked at Frankie, "but do go on, please."

"Yes, please, what happened next?" asked Cupid.

"Well, we spent the whole weekend most of the next week trying to find Draculaura," said Frankie.

"With nothing to show for it," interjected Toralei.

"Who's telling the story here? You or Frankie?" asked Cleo irately.

"Just adding my two cents," said Toralei as she hopped onto one of the tables, pulled out a nail file and began working on her claws.

"You weren't even there when the tide pulled out last Friday," said an annoyed Lagoona, "come to think of it, I can't even remember seeing you at school on a Monday."

"You're right, I've never seen you at school on a Monday, Toralei," said Frankie, "at least not before lunch on Mondays."

"You've been blowing off Mondays?" asked Dexter, "gosh, I wish I had the guts to do that."

"I agree, especially when we have a test on Mondays," said Raven.

"I admit, Mondays aren't my favorite days," said Apple.

"Forget about what day it was or what days Toralei's been skiving off!" snapped Cupid, "What Happened, Frankie?!"

"Please tell her," said Tobias as he grasped Cupid's hand in a comforting manner, "I honestly don't know how much more she can take."

"Alright, here's what happened last Friday," said Frankie, "I need to backtrack a bit first. When she found out what happened to Draculaura, Headmistress Bloodgood decided to suspend classes until the situation was resolved."

"Which means no school until Draculaura's back home and no more Kaijin," said Clawdeen, "we've basically been using Monster High to coordinate our efforts."

"Then things really got bad on Friday," said Frankie, "I was driving Hector downtown with Abbey, Clawd, Jessie and Jackson. We were testing out a gadget Jackson and Ghoulia put together to help find Draculaura."

At that Ghoulia moaned eagerly as she showed everyone her laptop screen, which was displaying the schematics for some sort of sensor device.

"Yes, we know you're very proud of your perfume detector," said Cleo, "it's really not that big a deal."

"A machine that can home in on the specific pheromones in a perfume brand is definitely a big deal," said Robecca.

"Venus gave Draculaura a special brand of perfume as a gift," said Clawdeen, "some kind of experiment on synthetics without harming real flowers or something."

"It was a really unique scent tailored to enhance Draculaura's natural beauty," said Lagoona, "Clawd went bonkers over it."

"And if Draculaura was somewhere where her scent could be carried on the wind," said Frankie, "even if the pheromones were too faint to even be picked up by a werewolf's sense of smell, the gadget would."

* * *

… **Streets of New Salem…Last Friday…**

"What do you think about 'The Scent Sniffer 1.1?" asked Jackson as he, Jessie and Abbey sat in the back seat of Hector with the top down, while Frankie drove and Clawd sat in the passenger seat. "or maybe 'The Perfume Pursuer 2000?'"

"Too swanky," said Abbey, "needs to be simple and honest."

"That's no way to get a product noticed on the market," said Jessie, "I've got a cousin back home who works in advertisement. You show him your machine, Jackson, he'll not only come up with a really classy name, but also a commercial and jingle to go with it. You'll be a millionaire in less than six months."

"It's not just Jackson's," said Frankie, "it's also Ghoulia's, remember?"

"I also have a cousin who works on business contracts," said Jessie, "he'll work it out so that you and Ghoulia get equal profits and credit."

"What difference does it make?" asked Clawd as he leaned over the door and up, trying to sniff the air as the car passed through the streets of the town, "if I can't sniff out Draculaura, then no machine can!"

"This gadget can and will," said Jackson, "it's just one idea Ghoulia and I have that'll allow us Normies to experience what Monsters take for granted. Your abilities make you special but also envious, not to mention frightening."

"You trying to sell Monster powers to Normies?" asked Abbey.

"No, not like that," said Jackson, "it's just that…there's still so much distrust between humans and Monsters. I just thought that if some Normies could experience what it's like to be a Monster, there'd be less discord between them."

"A good idea but it'll have to wait," said Frankie as she pulled up to a red light, "let's find Draculaura, then we'll worry about bring peace to Normies and Monsters."

"Turn left," said Clawd as he stood up, "the wind's shifting."

"I can't turn left, it's a one-way street," said Frankie.

"I don't care, turn left!" snapped Clawd.

"And risk getting a ticket?" asked Frankie irately as her neck bolts sparked, "I'd rather keep my license point free, thank you very much."

"There no cops around to give ticket," said Abbey.

"Yes, but if you look up at the poles where the stop lights are hanging," said Jessie as she pointed up, "you'll see those lovely little cameras the police use to catch speeders and other traffic violations."

"We'll turn left at the next light, Clawd," said Jackson.

"No, we're going left now!" snapped Clawd. With that he irately pulled Frankie out of the driver's seat and shoved her into the backseat. He then jumped behind the wheel and floored it, the tires screeching as Hector turned left while the light was still red.

"Are you out of your mind!?" exclaimed Jessie as Clawd drove Hector through oncoming traffic, the cars of the other drivers swerving to avoid a head-on collision.

"Clawd, I know you're upset," said Frankie, "but this is no reason to hijack my car! Especially while I'm still in it!"

"I know what I'm doing, Frankie!" exclaimed Clawd as he narrowly avoided hitting one car, then drove between two, "Draculaura's this way!"

"My gadget would have picked it up!" said Jackson.

"I don't need some stupid smelling machine!" snapped Clawd, "I can feel it! She's this way!"

"Then just pull over so we can call the others!" said Frankie.

Instead of pulling over, Clawd drove the car onto the sidewalk to avoid a particularly thick patch of traffic.

"Okay, now you're endangering pedestrians!" said Jessie fearfully as the car narrowly missed dozens of people diving out of the way.

"Did I say you were upset, Clawd?" asked Frankie as they narrowly avoided running over a mother and child, "you're nuts!"

But then Clawd stamped on the brake, nearly launching everyone out of the car, only for Clawd to put Hector in reverse, back up several yards, brake again and then pull into a side alley.

After several seconds the alley opened up into an enormous empty lot that had only one other outlet. Clawd slammed on the brake once again as he saw a figure standing in the middle of the lot, a figure that turned out to be a smirking Valentine.

"You!" shouted Clawd as he leapt out of Hector, while Frankie and the others got out as well, "Where's Draculaura!?"

"Well, well, well," said Valentine, "the brave hero and his companion have tracked down the vile villain in order to rescue the princess. A classic tale if there ever was."

"No games, Valentine!" shouted Frankie, "what did you do with Draculaura?!"

"Where, oh where, is she indeed?" asked Valentine, "she's safe, if that will ease your frantic hearts."

"If stupid playboy vamp has hurt Draculaura, I'll turn him into undead popsicle!" snapped Abbey.

"Not if I don't roast him first!" shouted Heath in a muffled tone.

"Heath?!" exclaimed Frankie, "where are you?!"

"Hang on a second!" said Heath.

Just then Frankie and the others heard and saw Hector's trunk shake several times, "just hang on, where's the emergency release on this thing!?"

"They didn't put emergency releases in car trunks until 2002," said Jackson as Frankie hurried back to Hector and pressed the trunk release button beneath the dashboard. The trunk popped open, at which a hyperventilating Heath bolted up.

"Oh, thank goodness!" gasped Heath, "I thought I was stuck in there forever!"

"What the fudge were you doing in there?" Jessie asked.

"Uh…seemed like a good idea at the time," said Heath sheepishly, to which Abbey briefly laughed.

"Well, that was an amusing distraction," said Valentine, "but I believe that we get down to business, to talk turkey, as the Normies often say."

"You want to get down and dirty, Valentine?!" growled Clawd as he tensed to attack, "that's fine by me!"

"No! Don't resort to violence!" said Jessie as she, Abbey and Heath restrained Clawd, "it's what he wants! It's what _they_ want!"

Frankie and the others then saw several figures emerging from the shadows of the surrounding buildings; five Normies dressed in gray and eight in wild colors.

"So it's true," said Frankie as she glared at Valentine, "you're working with Obsidian!"

"We have an understanding," said Valentine as the Orphnochs and Fangire surrounded Frankie and the others, yet didn't close in, "but you can relax, dear friends. These associates of mine are just here to make sure you don't attempt any unnecessary violence."

"But why?" asked Jackson, "why work with Obsidian?"

"That's what I want to know," said Frankie.

"The winds of fate are blowing towards the darkness, Ms. Stein," said Valentine, "we Monsters must either harness that wind to sail towards its ultimate destination, or be chaotically cast to oblivion."

"What does that mean!?" exclaimed Clawd, "and what does it have to do with Draculaura!?"

"He means either join or be destroyed by Obsidian," said Jessie, "Valentine has made his choice."

"And you all must choose as well," said Valentine, "Frankie Stein, you're a reasonable and relatively intelligent Monster. Just think about it; do you honestly believe that a pitiful handful of gaudily armored Normies have even the most miniscule chance against the overwhelming might of Obsidian? What chance do they have against those whom have amassed dark powers the likes you can barely dream of? Not to mention the near innumerable hordes of Kaijin from Dai Shocker and the dark science of Foundation X."

"If the forces of darkness are so powerful," said Jessie confidently, "then how come all those evil organizations and Kaijin tribes affiliated with Dai Shocker and Foundation X, how come they all died at the hands, or should I say kicks, of Kamen Riders?"

"The right leaders for the forces of darkness haven yet to appear to assume their proper mantles," said Valentine.

"Is that why you've sold yourself to Obsidian?!" demanded Frankie, "you want to be some kind of dark leader?!"

"Oh, I'm just helping the transition from light to dark," said Valentine, "the one to assume the mantle of leadership has yet to step up to her responsibilities yet, but she will in time."

"Then cut the crap already!" snapped Clawd, "where's Draculaura!?"

"Calm now, Clawd old sport," said Valentine in a placating manner, "I already said she was safe. You'll see your beloved Draculaura soon enough, after we talk a little business that is."

"Oh, I get it now," said Frankie grimly, "how much?"

"Excuse me?" asked Valentine in a genuinely confused tone.

"How much do you want as a ransom?" asked Frankie, "that's why you kidnapped Draculaura, right? You want money? Do you want one of us to steal something valuable for you?"

"Or maybe hostage exchange," said Abbey, "Draculaura for someone else."

"Oh, I have no intention of holding onto Draculaura," said Valentine, "if she wants to return to her friends and loved ones, she's more than welcome to. I just wanted to talk with her for a while, that's all."

"So you kidnapped her just to talk?" asked Jackson, "What kind of sicko vampire are you?"

"Just that, sick," said Frankie, "first you try to seduce Draculaura all so you could break her heart and add it to your sick collection, now you abducted her all so you can have a conversation!?"

"And what a conversation it was," said Valentine, "I admit, I had quite the impression on her. Didn't I, Draculaura?"

It was then that the line of disguised Kaijin parted, revealing a teenage vampire girl dressed in black with red eyes. Yet closer inspection revealed that she was uncomfortably familiar to Frankie and the others, with the exception being Clawd.

"DRACULAURA!" exclaimed an overjoyed Clawd as he rushed towards the black-clad vampireess, only for Draculaura to raise her right hand and send out a pulse of energy that blasted Clawd off his feet into the air. He shot towards Abbey so fast that she had no time to dodge as he landed on her with enough force to knock her down and fall awkwardly on her leg, followed by the sickening sound of bones breaking.

"Keep your filthy paws off of me, dog!" snapped Draculaura as she glared at Clawd, "the day I let a werewolf so much as lay a finger on me is the day I put a stake in my own heart!"

"Draculaura?!" exclaimed a dumbfounded and horrified Frankie as Jackson, Jessie and Heath helped Clawd and Abbey back up, "what…? How…? Why…?"

"Well, that leaves just 'when, where and who,' doesn't it, Frankie?" asked Draculaura contemptuously. "you always were too stupid for your own good."

"I don't believe it!" shouted Clawd, "the Draculaura I know would never say and do such hateful things!"

"I guess you don't know me that well, dog," said Draculaura. She then walked over to Valentine, threw her arms around and kissed him lustfully on the mouth, while Valentine returned the embrace and kiss with equal dark passion.

"No…it…it can't be," said a heartbroken Clawd as he fell to his knees, while Frankie, Heath, Abbey and Jackson looked only as partly devastated.

"What the hell did you say and do to her, you blood sucking son of a bitch!?" shouted on outraged Jessie.

"I unleashed her!" exclaimed Valentine triumphantly as he and Draculaura stood side-by-side, "who would have thought that beneath that childish, crybaby exterior beat a heart of darkness!"

"I thought vampire hearts didn't beat," said Jackson.

"Is figure of speech," said Abbey as she leaned on Heath for support while glaring hatefully at Valentine.

"It can't be…it just can't be," moaned Clawd.

"Believe it or not, dog," said Draculaura, "this is the real me. I am vampire! I am darkness! And I am the one whom shall deliver all nine pieces of The Star of Rosskarn to Obsidian and leave this world to rot!"

"What is The Star of Rosskarn?" asked Jessie.

"None of your concern," said Valentine, "now, I've delivered Draculaura to you safe and sound as promised; now you'll repay me in kind."

It was then that Frankie noticed that Jessie was using a normal cell phone to send out a text but hid the phone behind her back. Realizing that help was soon on its way, Frankie decided to stall for time as much as possible.

"Alright, you did keep your end of the bargain," said Frankie in a slightly unsure tone, "though I didn't realize that we even settled on a deal. What do you want now, Valentine?"

"What's rightfully Obsidian's," said Valentine.

"I told Valentine and his shadowy friends that the first piece was locked in the Monster High catacombs," said Draculaura, "but what I can't tell them is where Bloodgood has the keys to her safe, or what the combinations are, or even _where_ in the safe the necklace is."

"So here's the deal," said Valentine, "one of you stays as a hostage while the others return to Bloodgood. The hostage goes free when we have the necklace."

"And if we say no?" asked Frankie.

"Then one of you dies here and now," said Draculaura coldly, "maybe more. We only need one hostage and one to come back with the Star piece. The question is who?" she glared at Clawd, whom by now was curled up in a ball on the ground, whining with emotional agony, "should I put the dog out of his misery?"

Draculaura then glared at Abbey and Heath, "or maybe liquidate the lovers? Fire and ice are so incompatible, yet you try to make it work. It sickens me."

"Keep talking, traitor!" snapped Heath, "you'll get yours soon enough!"

"I don't believe you've turned bad!" shouted Abbey, "you must be under dark whammy!"

"Of course! A spell or an enchantment or something!" said Frankie. She then looked at Valentine, "that's the only way you could have gotten Draculaura to even like you! What'd you use this time? A love potion? Hypnosis? Whatever you did, we'll undo it!"

"Maybe I should kill you, Frankie," said Draculaura coldly, "so I can finally shut that stupid mouth of yours!"

But then Draculaura looked at Jessie and Jackson with the expression of a predator sighting its prey, "or maybe one of the humans! I only just rediscovered the exquisite taste of human blood."

"No, you didn't!" said a horrified Frankie, "you…you fed on a Normie?"

"I _killed_ a Normie!" said Draculaura as she smiled with wicked glee, "At least four this morning, and dozens over the past week. I had forgotten the thrill of hunting and catching a human, you can almost smell and taste their terror as you expose your fangs and prepare to bite. If only I can describe how intimate it is when my fangs first penetrate the fragile flesh and arteries. And then, the blood! Ah…the blood! Nectar and Ambrosia pale in comparison!"

"Don't forget the ecstasy of feeling one's prey drift towards death," said Valentine, "the thrill of power when a human's heart beats its last."

"That too," giggled Draculaura.

"You spent almost your whole immortal life without blood," said Frankie, "you wouldn't even touch meat!"

"And I curse myself for ever thinking myself so foolish," said a disgusted Draculaura, "to think that a vampire could ever be satisfied with mortal food, let alone vegetables and fruits!" she then spat in revulsion, then regained her dark composure, "but I'm better now, much better, and still thirsty."

"I still don't believe it!" said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked furiously.

"Do you want me to prove it?!" asked Draculaura, "I'll prove it!" she then gestured towards one of the Fangire, "bring the half breed!"

"No!" shouted Frankie as she, Jessie and Heath tried to get to Jackson before the Fangire grabbed him, yet the other Kaijin jumped in and restrained them.

But then one of the Orphnoch pulled out its cell phone, read a message on it, ran up to and whispered to Valentine.

"Oh, it seems we have an unexpected guest to our little party," said the flamboyant vampire, "another human, one I believe young Jackson is most familiar with."

"What?" asked Frankie as two Orphnoch entered the lot, dragging a furiously struggling human that she and the others did know; a girl about 16 with short black hair, pale skin, black eye shadow and wearing a black sweater and pants.

"Clair!" exclaimed Jackson as he recognized the girl.

* * *

… **Hexiciah Steam's Laborotory…Present Day…**

"Clare?" asked Avery with confused caution.

"I don't think this is our Clare," said Raven.

"This is Clair Childs," said Lagoona, "we met her and some of her mates during a Halloween Party a while back."

"She and Jackson have a thing," said Clawdeen, "you'll like her, she's cool."

"She's alright," said Cleo, "for an emo Normie."

"I hope she'll be alright, after what happened next," said Frankie.

* * *

… **New Salem…Last Friday…**

"Jackson!" shouted Clair as she franticly struggled to get away from the two Orphnochs, yet their grip on her arms remained firm as they brought her to Valentine and Draculaura.

"Clair!" shouted Jackson as he struggled to get free of the Fangire restraining him, while Frankie and the others also fruitlessly fought to get lose.

"Oh, this is much better," said Draculaura in a wickedly delighted tone as the two Orphnochs forced Clair to kneel, "another Normie couple in love. It's said among vampire lore that the blood of a human in love is that much sweeter, that and high blood sugar, but beggars can't be choosers, can they?"

"Alright, you win, Valentine!" shouted Frankie, "you can have the necklace! Let me call Bloodgood and the necklace is as good as yours! Just let Clair go!"

"No! You can't do that, Frankie!" said Jessie, "We all agreed that they can't have it!"

"I don't know what's going on, but whatever they're asking for, don't do it!" said Clair defiantly, "if these horrible creatures want something, don't give it to them! I'm not worth it!"

"Oh, but you are," said Valentine as he walked over and caressed Clair's face, at which she turned her head away in disgust.

"Don't you touch her!" shouted Jackson as he nearly broke free of the Fangire's grip, "if you so much as lay another finger on her, I'll…"

"You'll do what, poindexter? Beat me to death with a laptop?" said a humorously laughing Valentine, "there's no loud music here to transform you into your chaotic other half, as if he'd care what would happen to your girlfriend."

Just then everyone heard the sound of an approaching motorcycle. From the other end of the lot rode Kiva on his bike.

But then Draculaura aimed her hand at Kiva and sent out a pulse of dark energy that knocked Kiva off his bike. Draculaura then levitated Kiva into the air and over to her and Valentine.

"Another foolish hero," said Valentine, "this is getting tedious."

"Allow me to stir things up!" said Draculaura as she blasted Kiva with a massive amount of dark energy. Kiva shouted in agony as sparks flew from his armor.

"I'm bored already," said Draculaura dryly as she idly waved her hand, violently tossing Kiva towards one of the buildings. He hit the wall hard and fell to the ground. With a flash of light, the transformation reverse, leaving a bruised, bleeding and smoldering Siegfried on the ground.

"Siegfried!" exclaimed Kivat as he hovered around his partner, "you've got to get up!"

"I'd be more than happy to, Kivat," said Siegfried as he tried to get up, only to be grabbed by two Fangire, while a third grabbed Kivat, "but they have other ideas."

"You'll be dealt with in due time, Rider," said a contemptuous Valentine, "but first thing's first." He then looked at Draculaura, "you ready, my dear?"

"Always ready, my darling," said Draculaura as she walked up to the still kneeling and captive Clair.

"I said you could have the necklace!" said Frankie.

"And we will have it," said Draculaura as she grabbed Clair by her hair and jerked her head back, "after I've quenched my thirst!" With that she leaned down and bit Clair on the neck, the helpless girl screaming in agony as the vile immortal began drinking her blood.

"NOOOOOO!" shouted Jackson as, without warning, flames appeared over his body. The summoned fire grew so hot that it ignited the Fangire holding him. The creature thrashed about in pain as it was forced into its true form, only for the flames burning it got hotter and hotter. With a loud CRACK, the creature shattered, its pulsating soul rising up into the air and vanishing.

All the while, Jackson ran forward and tackled Draculaura, forcing her away from Clair and igniting the two restraining Orphnochs, forcing the creatures into their true forms, then crumbling them into dust.

"Put me out!" shouted Draculaura as her dress caught fire, "put me out!"

"Get him!" shouted Valentine as he franticly tried to smother the flames. At that the remaining Kaijin assumed their true forms, abandoning Frankie, Siegfried and the others and rushing at Jackson.

But then Jackson crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a cry of unbridled rage, unleashing a massive wave of fire that slammed into the oncoming creatures, burning them out of existence.

"I think we've worn out our welcome for the day, my darling," said Valentine as he helped a still smoking Draculaura back to her feet.

"I think you're right, my dearest," said Draculaura. She then pointed and accusing finger and glared at Frankie, "remember this, Frankie Stein! The night that is Obsidian is falling! This world of yours will die! And there's nothing you and yours can do to stop it!" with that she and Valentine burst into swarms of bats that flew off into the sky and vanished.

"Uh…what just happened?" asked Heath.

"I know not," said Abbey.

"Clare!" shouted Jackson as the flames vanished from his body. He ran to Clair, whom had collapsed to the ground, "Clair! Are you…?"

"Jackson...I…I feel so…" whispered Clair as she clutched at her bitten neck, trying to cover the two holes where she was bitten, yet there was no bleeding, "I…I think I'll be alright, but…what happened to you?"

"I…I don't know," said Jackson. He then looked at his hands in disbelief, "I don't know."

… **Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…Present Day…**

"We still don't know what happened to Jackson," said Frankie, "even though Ghoulia's been running every test she can think of."

At that Ghoulia moaned something along the line of 'I'm working on it!'

"Could he have latent magic powers?" asked Raven.

"That's one of the first things Ghoulia checked for," said Cleo, "that and if he somehow tapped into Holt's powers."

"Holt's a fire elemental bloke, like Heath," said Lagoona, "only more unpredictable."

"But what about Siegfried?" asked Avery, "and that girl, Clair?"

"They're okay, for now," said Frankie, "Siegfried's still weak from whatever dark energy Draculaura blasted him with and he hasn't been able to transform. Clair's still weak too, despite everything Headmistress Bloodgood could arrange; fresh blood transfusions and everything that can heal a vampire bite that's in the books."

"They're still here at Monster High," said Clawdeen, "just as we've been since Monday."

"Thank Ra for shower cubicles in the locker rooms," said Cleo, "that and the Headmistress agreeing to let my house staff bring everyone's wardrobes from their homes here."

"Yeah, we've set up school as our headquarters," said Frankie, "but even so, Draculaura doing what she did really lowered the voltage on everyone."

"I can't believe it," said a horrified Cupid, "Draculaura, that sweet, kind, innocent vegan vampire, she bit a human. She's killed and feed on humans."

"I don't know if it's true or not, my cotton candy angel," said Tobias as he held Cupid's hand, "but it's clear that this Valentine has a horrific hold on Draculaura."

"That's why I had to bring you back, Cupid," said Frankie, "you're the only one who can undo whatever Valentine did to Draculaura."

"Can you, Cupid?" asked Lagoona, "can you?"

"By Olympus, I'm gonna try," said Cupid defiantly as she stood up, "I don't know what vile means Valentine used to corrupt Draculaura's heart, but I'm gonna undo it, even if it kills me, and we demigods are pretty hard to kill."

"She's telling the truth," said Apple, while Raven, Dexter, Avery and Tobias nodded in agreement, "I saw her accidentally shot by one of her own arrows and she shrugged it off like it was a paper cut."

"It's a demigod thing," said Cupid to an astonished Frankie.

"I'll bet," said Frankie, "so, how do you want to proceed? What do you need from the rest of us?"

"It'd help if I could get a look at Draculaura," said Cupid as she and the others stood up, "I need a really good look if I'm going to figure out whatever vile thing Valentine did to her."

"How close do you need to get?" asked Robecca asked.

"Close enough to make physical contact if possible," said Cupid, "if I could get hold of her hands for a few seconds, half a moment at the most, I'll know exactly how to help her. But if necessary I can make do with maintaining close eye contact. Just get me within ten paces and I'll do the rest."

"We'll see what can be done," said Frankie.

"Well, in the meantime, I think we should go see my brother," said Clawdeen.

"Oh, that's right," said a worried Cupid, "Clawd must be in the depths of despair. Someone needs to talk to him."

"What are you gonna do?" asked Apple.

"I don't know yet," said Cupid, "again, I have to be close to tell just how broken his heart is in order to know how to begin healing it."

"If his heart were any more broken, it…" said Cleo, whom then frowned in disgruntled confusion, "you know, I can't honestly think of a proper metaphor."

"Just say he's hurting, a lot," said Lagoona.

"Then let's go see what can be done to heal his heart," said Cupid.

With that they all walked out of the workshop and up through the catacombs towards the school proper.

They emerged into the hallways of Monster High. Apple, Raven and the others from Ever After were startled and amazed at the seemingly infinitely diverse student body of the school; vampires, werebeasts, aquatic creatures, gargoyles, ghosts, Cyclopes, centaurs, insectoids, students with extra limbs and eyes, students that were little more than gelatinous blobs, tentacle creatures, just to name a few.

And all of the students of Monster High were friendly towards Apple, Raven, Dexter, Maddie, Tobias and Avery, while happily welcoming Cupid back home.

Yet all was not well in Monster High. Our heroes from Ever After saw preparations for readying the school to stand firm against an intense conflict; classrooms had been converted into makeshift dormitories, stockpiles of food, water and medical supplies were in other classrooms, while even more classrooms had been turned into makeshift infirmaries.

"It's like you're getting ready for a war," said Cupid to Frankie.

"Headmistress Bloodgood isn't one to be caught without a plan," said Frankie, "oh, there she is now."

Up ahead, speaking to several other students, was the Headless Headmistress, whom happened to be carrying her head in her arms at the time.

"Uh…is she…?" asked a moderately disturbed Raven, while Apple, Dexter, Tobias and Avery looked on with equally distressed.

"Oh springs and sprockets!" exclaimed an overjoyed Maddie, "what a noggin she has!" She sprinted forward towards Bloodgood, reaching into her hat to pull out a measuring tape, a note pad and pencil.

"Maddie! No!" shouted Raven, but it was too late as Maddie skipped up to Bloodgood with an eager smile on her face.

"Out of all the heads I've seen walk into my Tea Shop and Haberdashery," said Maddie to Bloodgood, "yours is the most awe inspiring!"

"Uh…well…thank you, young lady," said an equally startled, confused and flattered Bloodgood.

"Please," said Maddie, "allow me the extraliciously fantastic honor of designing a hat just for you!"

"She doesn't mean any harm, Headmistress!" said Cupid as she, Raven, Apple, Frankie and the others ran up to them, "she's just…well…she's just…"

"Maddie," said Raven, "that's her in a nutshell."

"Nope, this is me in a nutshell," said Maddie. She then took of her hat and bowed gracefully, "Madeline Hatter, and I'm in a nutshell."

"It's good to see that you've made such…interesting friends when you transferred schools, Ms. Cupid," said Bloodgood, "and welcome back. I hope your talents will be able to alleviate some of the suffering that a certain young werewolf has been forced to endure."

"I'll do my best, Headmistress," said Cupid, "now where's Clawd?"

"Where he's been for a while now," said Clawdeen, "on the Casketball Court."

Our heroes then traversed the school hallways and outdoors to a basketball court, only for Monsters. There, playing a game of two on one, was Deuce, Gil and Clawd, the latter looking miserable but focused as he dribbled the ball while trying to get past Gil and Deuce. Closer inspection revealed that Deuce and Gil were heavily winded and were on the verge of exhaustion, while Clawd still had plenty of energy.

"How long has he been playing?" asked Cupid.

"Couple hours or so," said Clawdeen as she checked the time on her phone, "it was either that or watch him curl up in a ball and cry."

"Trust me, watching Clawd Wolf cry isn't as satisfying as it seems," said Toralei.

"Why are you still here?" asked Cleo.

"Like I've got anything better to do," said Toralei.

"You wanna watch something, watch me," said Cupid. With that she walked onto the Casketball court and caught the ball that Deuce tried to pass to Gil.

"Huh…Cupid?" asked Gil as he and Deuce nearly fell over from exhaustion, only to be caught respectively by Lagoona and Cleo.

"Yep, I'm back," said Cupid. She then walked up to Clawd, "hey, aren't you gonna welcome me home?"

"Cupid? Uh…yeah, welcome home," said Clawd in a neutral tone. He then sat down and placed his head on his knees.

"I hear you've been through something awful lately," said Cupid as she sat next to Clawd, "wanna talk about it?"

"What's to talk about?" asked Clawd, "Draculaura doesn't love me anymore. She'd rather be with Valentine. I should have known all along that it would never have worked between us."

"You mean you being a werewolf and she being a vampire?" asked Cupid, "nonsense! Of course it would have worked! You had such fangtastic chemistry last time I was here."

"Things change," said Clawd, "I don't know what I did wrong, but whatever it was, I blew it with Draculaura, and now she's gone forever!"

"You didn't do crap!" snapped Tobias as he walked over, "that bloodsucking bastard Valentine, he stole your girlfriend!"

"Who are you?" asked Deuce as Cleo got him a cold bottle of water, while Lagoona refilled Gil's tank.

"My boyfriend from a parallel dimension," said Cupid, "but that's not important right now; getting Draculaura back is."

"She made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want anything to do with me," said Clawd, "I'm just too stupid to accept it. Maybe I should just forget about Draculaura and move on."

"'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,'" said Toralei.

"Unless you have something truly constructive to say, Toralei," said Cleo, "I suggest you scat!"

"I am being constructive," said an annoyed Toralei, "Draculaura's gone over to the dark side and dumped Clawd. There's nothing we can do can change it, so the sooner he gets over her and moves on, the better."

"You would say that, wouldn't you," said Cupid crossly as she stood up, "you never liked Draculaura. I'll bet deep down you're enjoying this. That's right, you're taking pleasure from Clawd's broken heart!"

"As if!" said a genuinely insulted Toralei, "you think I'm that bad? I may be a chaotic rebel, but I'm no sadist. The last thing I want is for the likes of Valentine, Irvin and Obsidian to win, that and kill a lot of Kaijin in the process."

"Then help me help Clawd," said Cupid, "the sooner we get him back on his feet, the sooner he can start fighting to get Draculaura back!"

"Oh, you want to rebuild Clawd's confidence?" asked Toralei, "well, why didn't you say so?" with that she walked up to Clawd and roughly pulled him to a standing position, "stop acting like a child who had his favorite toy stolen and go get that toy back already!"

"Not exactly the words I would use," said a slightly uncomfortable Cupid, "but you're on the right track."

"So you had your girlfriend kidnapped and brainwashed to hate you," said Toralei, "that's no excuse to fall apart! Now pull yourself together, get out there and make Valentine pay for what he did!"

At that Ghoulia moaned something urgently.

"She's right, we still don't know what Valentine did to Draculaura," said Frankie, "we may need him alive to undo what he did."

"Then we'll find him and torture him into fixing whatever he did to Draculaura," said Toralei in a matter of fact tone.

"Yeah, torture Valentine," said Clawd as the faint trace of a smile appeared on his lips.

"I think you may actually be onto something, Toralei," whispered an astonished Clawdeen.

"I know, I amaze myself sometimes," said Toralei.

"You know, I've been thinking," said Raven, "if I were in your shoes, Clawd, if someone I loved had been taken from me and turned evil, I wouldn't be moping around feeling sorry for myself. I'd be doing everything in my power to get that loved one back and making the one who took that loved one pay for taking the loved one in the first place!"

"Yeah, don't just make do," said Avery, "do better and inflict some pain on Valentine!"

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade," said Maddie, "make life take the lemons back! Get mad! Say to life 'I don't want your darn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these!?'"

"You tell it to life, ghoulfiend!" said Lagoona

"Demand to see life's manager!" exclaimed Maddie, "Make life rue the day it thought it could give Clawd Wolf lemons! Life doesn't know who it's dealing with! You walk right up to life and tell life that you're the werewolf who's gonna burn life's house down! With the lemons! You're gonna find some engineers who'll invent a combustible lemon that'll burn life's house down!"

"Or burn Valentine's house down!" said Toralei.

"Burn his house down," said a fully smiling Clawd, "yeah, that's what I'll do. No! Better yet, I know exactly what I'll do to Valentine when I catch him!"

"Care to enlighten us?" asked Toralei.

"First, I'm gonna tear his lips off," said Clawd, "that's what I'm gonna do. Then, I'll gouge his eyes out! Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do."

"Maybe you should save the eyes for last," said Raven, "you know, so he'll get to see what you're doing to him."

"That works," said Toralei, "so, anything else, Clawd?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna tear his arms and legs right out of the sockets!" said Clawd, "and then, I'm gonna hit him and he'll fall. Then I'll look down, and then I'm gonna laugh."

"That's going a little too far, but whatever floats your boat," said Lagoona.

Just then Howleen dashed into the area, a frantic look of desperation on her face, "it's Clair! She's…she's…"

"Oh my ghoul," said a stunned Frankie. With that she and Howleen ran back inside the school, followed by Clawdeen, Apple, Raven and the others.

"I thought she was getting better!" exclaimed Frankie as they ran through the hallways of Monster High.

"She was but not anymore!" said Howleen, "something's gone wrong, really wrong!"

They soon reached another classroom that had been converted to an infirmary, where on one of the beds, attached to machines monitoring her vital signs, lay an unconscious, diaphoretic and barely breathing Clair, while at her side was Jackson, holding her hand and looking like his own heart was about to break.

Nearby, leaning on a makeshift crutch, was Siegfried, with Kivat hovering nearby. Siegfried was furiously arguing with Bloodgood, while nearby stood the school nurse and several volunteer Monster medical personnel.

"I don't care how convinced you are of this!" said Bloodgood irately, "it is only hearsay and theory on your part!"

"On my world it is more than a theory!" snapped Siegfried, "the girl is suffering a rare case of blood poisoning that only I can cure!"

"What are you talking about?" Apple asked as she walked up to the two arguing adults, "if Clair is suffering, then…"

"This isn't a physical ailment, Apple," said Raven as she stood near Clair, "this is dark magic."

"Which is what I've been trying to explain to our gracious host and the respectable doctors!" said Siegfried, "I've seen this kind of vampire bite on my world! Some Fangire don't always drain their victims of their life energy all at once. Sometimes they infect them with a cursed bite and leave them to suffer."

"She's cursed?" asked Jackson.

" _In theory_ , perhaps," insisted the Headless Headmistress.

"It's no theory," said Kivat, "I've seen humans suffer the same symptoms before. They seem to recover from the bite, but three days or so after the bite, they slowly turn transparent, depending on the victim. Don't believe me? Take a closer look."

"She is paler than usual," said Cleo.

"She's not just paler," said a horrified Lagoona, "she's practically transparent! Look! I can see her bloody blood vessels!"

Apple, Raven, Avery and the others looked closer and indeed, to their shock and appalled horror, could see Clair's veins and arteries in slowly but surely increasing detail.

"Won't be long before we can to see her bones and organs," said Kivat, "by then it'll be too late to do anything."

"If the child is to live, I have to act now!" said Siegfried. But then he doubled over by a sudden fit of violent coughing. When he recovered and stood straight again, there was blood dripping from his mouth and on his hands.

"You can barely take care of yourself, let alone cure the girl!" said Bloodgood.

"It's my life, I'll do whatever I want with it," said Siegfried, "even going so far as to sacrifice what little time I have left in order to save another."

"What do you mean?" asked Frankie, "you're not…you're…"

"I'm as good as dead," said Siegfried, "that blast of dark energy from Draculaura has damaged my cellular structure. I've got less than a week to live before I completely fall apart."

"Why didn't you say you were that sick!?" exclaimed Jessie as she, Ian and Lance hurried over. With them was a teenage boy about 16 or so with short brown hair and wearing everyday clothes for a normal teenager.

"Chad," said Frankie.

"You told me Clair was getting better!" exclaimed the boy, Chad, as he rushed over to Clair and held her other hand, while Jackson maintained his hold on Clair's other.

"That's Chad, another Normie friend and Clair's best friend," said Clawdeen. She then glared at Siegfried, "now why didn't you say you were in such bad shape?"

"It would only have upset you all," said Siegfried, "and you would have devoted irreplaceable time and resources to try and save me."

"We can still try," said Frankie, "you can't just give up and accept the end! You're a Rider! We need you!"

"Sometimes a Rider has to accept his fate," said Avery, "we do the best we can until fate is revealed, even if that fate is to make a final, heroic sacrifice."

"Ain't that the truth," said Ian, while Lance gave an acknowledging nod Avery, Tobias and Dexter, whom nodded back.

"Yeah, I know," said Jessie, "but I don't have to like it!"

"You think I'm happy with this?" asked Siegfried, "I have a wife and child back on my world! There are people back home whom are waiting for me! If I had another alternative, one where I could live and so could Clair, I would take it without hesitation, but there isn't time to find that alternative."

"You don't know that!" said Clawd as he walked over, "you can't just give up. I didn't."

"And I'm glad you didn't," said Siegfried.

"Yeah, good to see you've pulled your head out of the ground," said Lance. He then looked at Siegfried, "are you sure there isn't another way? It's not like you're replaceable. We need you."

"You need Kiva," Siegfried, "and what I'm going to do will make sure you still have Kiva after I'm gone, and in far less time that it would take for Alabaster to select and send another."

"How?" asked Bloodgood cautiously.

"By using my own Fangire abilities to transfer my powers into Clair," said Siegfried, "she will acquire a Fangire's natural healing abilities and immunity to the poison that's killing her."

"She'll be part Fangire?" asked Jackson as he stood up.

"You're going to turn her into a half-bred freak like you!?" exclaimed Chad as he too stood up.

"Chad!" said an irately insulted Clawdeen, while Frankie and the others looked at Chad with equally irate eyes.

"Oh…uh…sorry," said Chad sheepishly as he lowered his head slightly in shame of his intolerant outburst.

"Again, if there was any other way, I'd choose it in an instant," said Siegfried. He then doubled over in another violent coughing fit that left more blood on his hands.

"Hey, take it easy," said Frankie, "you should sit down and save your strength."

"I need to act before I lose what strength I have left," said Siegfried as he straightened up and washed the blood off his hands, "my human half is growing weaker by the moment, as is my Fangire half. I need to perform the power transfer before either side grows too weak to act."

"Do it," said Clair harshly as she opened her eyes, which had taken on a color of foggy glass.

"CLAIR!" shouted Jackson and Chad as they rushed back to her side.

"Hey, both of you," whispered Clair, "I must look like a mess, and I feel worse."

"That's just the morphine talking," said Chad, "you'll be back to your usual misanthropic self before you know it."

"I heard everything," said Clair, "I'm done for if you all don't let Siegfried do what he's gotta do."

"You really want that?" asked Jackson, "you want to become part Fangire?"

"For all we know you _will_ be a Fangire and try to suck out everyone's life energy," said Chad.

"I wouldn't do that," said Clair, "sucking energy, not my thing." She then closed her eyes and winced in agony as her skin became more transparent.

"It's now or never!" said Kivat as he hovered over Clair.

"I'm going to do it with or without your blessing," said Siegfried to Bloodgood, "and if you try and stop me, you'll only damn Clair to a lingering, agonizing death."

"Headmistress, please," begged Jackson, "let him try."

"Alright, do it," said Bloodgood reluctantly, "but be it on your soul if it doesn't work."

"It will, I've seen it done before," said Siegfried as he walked over and sat next to Clair, taking her hands in his.

"You've never done it before?" Chad asked.

"I've never died before," said Siegfried, "this is something a Fangire can do only once, and only when he or she is close to death themselves. But trust me, you're about to see a miracle."

At that Siegfried closed his eyes in concentration. From his back emerged a pair of glass fangs that glowed with a golden light. The glass fangs rose up and separating from each other, one fang hovering over Clair, the other hovering in front of Siegfried.

"Now wait just a damn minute!" exclaimed Bloodgood, but was too late as the fangs plunged into the hearts of Clair and Siegfried.

Both gasped painfully as a beam of golden energy flowed from Siegfried and Clair, connected by the two fangs. The beam vanished after a few seconds, as did the glass fangs, leaving both Siegfried and Clair apparently unharmed.

But then Siegfried collapsed to the floor, just as Clair sat up, her skin and eyes resuming their normal pigmentation.

"What…what was that?" asked Clair as she tried to get up, yet Jackson and Chad tried to keep her sitting.

"A…miracle," gasped Siegfried as he tried to get back up but barely managed to reach a sitting position. Ian, Jessie and Lance hurried over and helped him to a chair, upon which everyone was shocked to see Siegfried's skin was spider-webbed with stain glass patterns, only instead of being full of colors, the patterns were nearly black.

"It's done," said a panting Siegfried as more and mover black patterns appear on his skin, "the transfer of power is complete. He then looked at Clair as she looked at him, "now you're like me; a child of two worlds."

"I…I don't know what to say," remarked an astonished Clair as she looked at her hands, then at her arms, "I don't feel any different, except for feeling a heck of a lot better."

"You'll be feeling more soon," said Kivat as he hovered near her shoulder, then flew over to and hovered in front of Siegfried, "I won't say you shouldn't have done that, partner, just that I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, my friend," said Siegfried, "but now we must part ways. Your new partner is going to need you, a lot."

"I know," said Kivat, "anything you want me to say to your wife and son?"

"Nothing that hasn't already been said," said Siegfried, "my wife knows about the video file I left in for her and my son in case I didn't come back. You'll tell her to open the file, right?'

"I will," said Kivat, "goodbye, Siegfried."

"And now I must bid you all farewell," said Siegfried to Frankie, Raven and the others, "and do not weep for me for long. One Rider has fallen, but another will soon rise to take my place, to fight the good fight and stand firm against the forces of darkness."

At that Siegfried took a deep breath as the black patterns on his skin turned white and glowed brightly. His body then shattered, from which emerged a pulsating Fangire soul that shone like a small sun. The shining soul rose up into the air and vanished.

"He'll be back someday," said Kivat as he looked up, "he'll regenerate and be reborn, hopefully as good a person as he was before." He then flew over and landed on Clair's shoulder, "well, new partner, you've got a long and dangerous road ahead of you, but the good news is that you won't be traveling it alone."

"We're here," said Jackson as he and Chad took her hands in theirs, "and we'll help you in any way we can."

"Count us in too," said Frankie as she and the other Monsters nodded in agreement.

"Us too," said Apple as she, Raven and Maddie nodded.

"One Rider can always count on the help of another," said Avery, while Tobias, Dexter, Lance, Jessie and Ian nodded.

"Gee, thanks, I guess," said Clair, "now, anyone here know what I'm supposed to do now that I am a Rider?"

It was then that Iris Clops ran into the room, "Headmistress! They're coming!"

"How many?!" asked Bloodgood.

"A lot," said Iris, "at least ten of each Kaijin!"

"That's the most we've seen of them at one time," said Ian, "Irvin's really stepping up his game."

"We can't fight ten Orphnochs and ten Fangire!" said Cleo, "Clair just got her new powers and doesn't even know what to do!"

"I can figure it out," said Clair as she stood up, gently but firmly pushing Chad and Jackson aside, "I don't know how, but I'll think of something."

"Well, you'd better think fast," said Maddie, "the scene's about to change."

"What are you talking about?" asked Clawd.

"I'm talking about this," said Maddie.

* * *

… **Book End General Hospital…Psychiatric Ward…Realm of Ever After...**

Ophelia D. Katzenburg stood in front of a mirror in the hospital staff changing room. A more casual yet alluring blouse, skirt and high heels had replaced her normal business attire. A glamour spell had dyed her hair dirty blonde and turned her eyes hazel, which she further disguised by adding a set of horn-rimmed glasses.

"Why Ophelia, you make quite the desirable doctor," said the vile proxy as she slipped on a white labcoat and fixed a nametag to the lapel, "or should I say, Felicity X. Bushman, MD, PhD."

With that, the vile proxy walked out of the changing room into the hospital proper. She navigated the corridors without hesitation, memorizing the route to her target. The patients, orderlies, nurses and real doctors she passed gave the impostor no mind, except for the occasional smile and 'good day,' which Ophelia returned without fail.

She reached one of the rooms housing long-term care patients. She took out a file folder from a slot near the door. Using a magical key card, Ophelia unlocked the door and stepped inside, where she found Milton Grimm intensely pacing back and forth.

"Good day, Headmaster Grimm," said Ophelia as she walked towards a folding table and two chairs that had been set up. She sat down and placed the folder that was Grimm's file on the table and placed her hands together, "how are you feeling."

"I'd be feeling a lot better of these idiot doctors would let me go so I can get back to work!" said Grimm irately, "they have no idea the danger we all are in! A danger caused by that irresponsible rebel, Raven Queen!"

"Yes, Raven Queen and the danger she's at the center of," said Ophelia, "tell me about her. I'm all ears."

It was then that Grimm actually saw Ophelia, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Why, I'm your new psychiatrist," said Ophelia as she gave a warm, disarming smile, "didn't they tell you? I'm here to make sure you get well again. Trust me, Headmaster Grimm, you'll be right as rain again before you know it."

… _The End Is Just The Beginning…_


	7. Chapter 6: The Battle of Monster High

**Chapter 6: The Battle of Monster High**

"Well, that was a nice bit of insight," said Maddie, "we'd better finish things up here and get home before it gets worse."

"What are you talking about?" Cleo asked as our heroes and allies stood in the makeshift infirmary where bare moments ago, at least to Apple, Raven, Frankie and the others, Siegfried sacrificed his life to save Clair's.

"Oh, nothing important," said Maddie, "so, what's happening now? Oh yeah, there's like twenty bad monsters outside the school."

"More like thirty now and more coming," said Iris Clops as she looked out the window, "they're covering all the exits."

"What about the catacomb exits?" asked Bloodgood.

"Operetta's looking into that now," said Iris, "she knows those tunnels and passages better than anyone. If the enemy tries to get in that way, Operetta will know and stop them."

"What about the necklace?" Avery asked, "the one Obsidian's so keen on getting. Is that still safe?"

"Safe in the safe," said Bloodgood as she pulled out the keys to the safe, "I'm the only one who knows where in the safe the necklace is, as well as the combinations for the tumbler locks. But none of that matters without these."

The Headless Headmistress then handed the keys to Frankie, "if something should happen to me, keep these secure and away from the hands of evil. Obsidian can torture me into giving up the combinations and the location of the necklace, but that safe will not open without the keys. If I should fall into enemy hands, then it is up to you and your friends, Frankie."

"We won't let you down, Headmistress," said Frankie as she took the keys. She then pulled out a spool of thread for her stitches and used it to make two loops for the keys. She put one around her neck then handed the second to Clawdeen.

"Why can't I have one of the keys?" asked Cleo.

"And why not me?" asked Toralei.

"Do you really have to ask?" said an annoyed Clawdeen as she and Frankie put the keys around their necks.

"And God forbid one of us gets captured," said Lagoona, "would you hold up under pressure, Cleo?"

"Will any of us?" asked Cleo, "this is a crisis not even the entire Egyptian pantheon could have prepared me for. Who knows what will happen to any of us when the moment of truth comes?"

"You want to back out and go home?" Robecca asked, "I'd say it's a little too late, considering that we're pretty much surrounded about thirty Kaijin."

"More like forty now," said Iris as she looked out the window.

"How can you tell?" asked Raven.

"I can tell the differences in the individual creatures," said Iris as she smiled confidently, "and a near photographic memory can't hurt."

"She's got an app on her phone that links her to the school's security cameras," said Toralei.

"I helped set up that security system, thank you very much," said a slightly annoyed Iris, "and I'll thank you to keep your paws off of it. It took me hours to reboot the system after you decided to make your own reality show!"

"You didn't," said an irate Cupid at Toralei, "you didn't sabotage the security cameras, did you? Are you really that selfish and insensitive?"

"Apparently," said Toralei in a thoughtful, matter of fact tone, "because I'm still hoping I can get a deal with a major TV network."

At that everyone in the room groaned in annoyance, while someone brought their palms up to their foreheads.

"Toralei Stripe," said Bloodgood sternly, "you can either assist your fellow students in this crisis or stay out of the way; the choice is yours."

"Oh, I'll help," said Toralei as she sauntered towards the door, "but only because I feel like helping."

"You don't think she and Kitty Cheshire are somehow related?" whispered Dexter to Raven.

"I wouldn't be all that surprised," whispered Raven.

It was then that Iris pulled out her beeping and vibrating phone and read an urgently red message, "oh no! Oh, this bad, this is very bad!"

"Now what?" asked Frankie.

"The enemy, they're jamming cell reception and WIFI," said Iris, "we can't call or email for help."

"What?!" exclaimed Cleo as she, Frankie and the others pulled out their mobile devices and were shocked to find no cellular or internet reception bars.

"Do we at least have interschool communications?" asked Bloodgood.

"Spectra should be looking into that now," said Iris, "it's one of the things we planned out in the event of a worst case scenario."

"Losing internet and phone reception is a worst case scenario?" asked Tobias.

"With Spectra, it is," said Cupid, "I can only imagine that without the ability to post her blogs, The Ghostly Gossip is zooming around the walls in a panic. Same thing might happen to Blondie when deprived of access to the MirrorNet for too long."

"What about landline phones?" asked Avery, "do you still have that? Or have you gone fully digital?"

"I still have a regular phone in my office," said Bloodgood, "this may be the digital age but no system is infallible."

"As my grandmother once told me," said Avery as our heroes and allies went with Bloodgood through the school corridors to her office, "'No matter how secure you think you are, always have a backup plan. It may just save your bacon.'"

"Your grandmother must have been a wise woman," said Bloodgood.

"Are you kidding?" asked Avery, "I could write a book on her words of wisdom. In fact, I may just do that someday."

"You can preorder my copy right now," said Apple.

"We'd better get to that phone before it starts ringing," said Maddie.

"What makes you think it's going to ring?" asked Frankie as they reached Bloodgood's office and opened the door, just as the phone of the Headmistress's desk began ringing.

"Well, that's ominous," said Frankie.

"I'd put that on speaker if I were you, Ms. Bloodgood," said Maddie, "I have a feeling it's something we all need to hear."

 _Maddie, will you please not skip ahead in the plot?_

"But you're dragging things a bit," said Maddie, "and it is important, right?"

 _I've got things set up the way they are for a reason._

"But you spent the first five chapters on flashbacks and exposition!" moaned Maddie, "I'm bored!"

 _But if I rush it, the readers will miss the important details. I know I seem a little long winded sometimes, but it's just my style of storytelling. Now please, no more interruptions._

"Oh, alright," pouted Maddie as she stubbornly crossed her arms, "just more dialog ahead anyway."

"Does she always do that?" Cleo asked Cupid, "talk to herself all the time?"

"Not all the time," said Cupid, "but only when something's about to happen."

"She is right this time," said Bloodgood as she held the phone in her hands, with one hand covering the speaker end, "it's the enemy leader, Irvin Weis, he wants to talk." She pressed the speaker button on the phone, "go ahead, Mr. Weis, I'm listening."

"I hope the others with you are listening too, Headmistress Bloodgood," said Irvin on the other end of the call, "otherwise you wouldn't have put the phone on speaker."

"Maybe she just likes to have the speaker on when having a conference!" said Frankie defiantly.

"Oh, you're there too, Ms. Stein," said a delighted Irvin, "as are your confederates, Ms. Wolf, Ms. Blue, Ms. De Nile and the rest of your freakish cabal. But what of the meddling Riders? I'd rather not have to make the same offer twice."

"We're here, Irvin," said Ian, while Lance and Jessie stood next to him, "Siegfried can't come to the phone."

"Not after you had Draculaura torture him!" snapped Jessie, "not after…!" but that's as far as she got before Lance made a shushing gesture, while Ian mouthed the words 'don't let them know he's dead!'

"It doesn't matter," said Irvin, "my offer is for Headmistress Bloodgood and Ms. Stein."

"Whatever it is, we will not accept," said Bloodgood.

"So take your deal and shove it!" said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked with defiance.

"Oh, you'll want to hear this deal, Ms. Stein," said Irvin, "it may just save your lives. By now I assume that your beloved headmistress has distributed the keys to the safe among you and your friends."

"How'd you know that?!" exclaimed Frankie as she clutched the key around her neck, while Clawdeen checked to see that her Key was safe too.

"A certain lady vampire told me about the keys," said Irvin, "don't worry, you'll see Draculaura and Valentine soon enough, though I'd rather conclude this transaction of ours without their presence. Those two undead lovers have been wearing on my nerves lately."

"I hope they're driving you bonkers," muttered Lagoona.

"As for the deal," Irvin continued, "surely by now you've all accepted the fact that no outside help is coming; no police, no military, not even your parents will lift a finger to assist you in any way, shape or form."

"Why? What'd you do to our parents and families?!" exclaimed Clawdeen.

"If you did anything to hurt my mom and dad," said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked furiously, "I'll…"

"You'll do nothing but listen!" snapped Irvin, "I've done nothing to your families, physically that is. Never the less, I've arranged it so that none of your families will help, not even if you appear on your knees before them, begging for your miserable lives."

"What could he have possibly done to them?" asked Raven.

"Keep it down," whispered Avery, "I don't want him to know that we're here."

"Good idea," whispered Raven.

"Then what do you want, Mr. Weis?" asked Bloodgood.

"You know what I want," said Irvin, "I want the necklace you sequestered in that improbably large safe of yours. You've got twenty minutes to retrieve it from the catacombs and walk out the front door of Monster High with it."

"And if we refuse to surrender the necklace?" asked Bloodgood.

"Then the consequences will be rather painful for you and your students, Headmistress," said Irvin, "it won't be a complete massacre. No, I have orders from my superiors to keep as many of your young freaks alive. So either come out with the necklace and save yourself and yours a lot of unnecessary pain, or I'm coming in with a lot of Kaijin ready for a fight."

"It'll be a cold day in hell before I allow any Kaijin into my school," said Bloodgood with righteous indignation.

"We're ready for a fight," said Frankie, "we won't be pushed over!"

"I imagine as such," said Irvin, "but why delay the inevitable? I will have that necklace and there's nothing you can do to stop me. I'll be waiting outside the front doors of the school. You have twenty minutes to decide and bring out the necklace. After that, I'm coming in."

With that the line clicked and the dial tone could be heard over the speaker.

"I think he means business," said Frankie.

"So do we," said Bloodgood as she walked to one of the bookcases in her office and pressed a hidden switch.

A hidden panel in the floor opened up and from it emerged a hologram projector that displayed a 3D image of Monster High.

"Where'd you get this, Headmistress?" asked an amazed Frankie, "it's clawsome!"

"Monster High has always had its defenses," said Bloodgood as she stepped up to the hologram and used her fingers to interact with it. She enlarged the image and focused on the school grounds. Multiple red dots with different colored rings around them were scattered around the school building.

"The red dots are the Kaijin," said Bloodgood, "those with blue rings are Orphnochs, the yellow are Fangire."

"What are the green dots, Headmistress?" asked Robecca as she indicated said dots within the school building.

"Us and the rest of the students and teachers," said Bloodgood as she zoomed the image out, then brought up several white dots scattered across the outside of the building and the grounds, "while these are the means in which we shall fight back."

Just then everyone heard Irvin's voice over a bullhorn, "You now have nineteen minutes, Bloodgood!"

"What…is he doing a countdown?" asked Cleo irately, "of all the nerve!"

"He must think he's the end all of villains," said Jessie.

"You should have met the proxies we faced," said Avery, "they would have given you a headache."

"About the white dots," said Bloodgood, "as I said, they shall be the means in which we fight back."

"Ooo! Is this like in Deathly Hallows?!" exclaimed Chad eagerly, "where Professor McGonagall cast that spell that brought the statues and suits of armor to life to fight against The Death Eaters? And will there be this massive shield spell covering the school?"

"No, _that_ was fiction," said Bloodgood in an admonishing manner.

"And since when has Monster High ever had suits of armor and statues just standing about?" asked Cleo.

"We do have a few dragons down in the catacombs," said Lagoona.

"And they shall stay in the catacombs," said Bloodgood, "the last thing any of us needs is a score of dragons on the loose."

"You now have eighteen minutes!" shouted Irvin over the bullhorn.

"I'm starting to dislike him," said Raven as she crossed her arms, "you still have Madison's derringer, Apple?"

"Sorry, I left it back home," said Apple

"That's alright," said Raven, "I've got a spell or two I'd like to try on Irvin."

"What kind of spell?" asked Cleo in an intrigued manner, "will it involve vomiting insects for an extended period of time? Or perhaps force him to endure excruciating pains until you've decided he's had enough?"

"I figured more along the lines of turning him inside out," said Raven. "My grandmother, Rachael Queen, she worked on a curse that turns people inside out, but she never got a chance to use it."

"Did your mother ever use it?" asked Dexter in an uncomfortable manner.

"I sincerely hope you're on your way to the catacombs, Bloodgood!" shouted Irvin, "because you now have seventeen minutes!"

"No, but _I_ will if he doesn't shut up!" said Raven irately.

"We have more efficient means to deal with intruders at Monster High," said Bloodgood.

"Booby traps," said Tobias.

"Precisely," said Bloodgood, "they used to be nonlethal traps design to incapacitate and detain, but I've upgraded them in light of the current crisis. And you'll see what kind of upgrades as soon as the enemy makes their move."

"As my grandmother once said," said Avery, "'the best defense may be a good offense, but having a backup or two plan never hurts.'"

"Which is why I installed Material Emancipation Grills on all the windows and exterior doors," said Bloodgood, "if the Kaijin get past the traps on the grounds and try to break in, they'll encounter quite the nasty little surprise."

"What's a Material Emancipation Grill?" asked Apple.

"You've never played the Portal games?" asked Jessie.

"They don't have video games like we do on Ever After," said Avery to Jessie.

"But what if they somehow get inside the school?" asked Clawdeen.

"More traps and a few volunteer tentacle Monsters will slow them down," said Bloodgood, "oh, I forgot to mention that I armed the school's resident Gargoyles. They'll provide support from the roof."

"You gave the school's Gargoyles weapons?" asked Cupid in an uncomfortable manner, "what kind of weapons?"

"You'll find out when the enemy makes their move," said Bloodgood, "and if the enemy still gets past all that I've prepared, there's an emergency escape tunnel I've installed in the auditorium."

"You now have sixteen minutes!" shouted Irvin.

"I'm gonna take that bullhorn away from him and make him eat it if he doesn't shut up," said Clawdeen.

Just then Iris, whom had stepped out of the office, ran back in, "Headmistress! You've got to stop them!"

"Stop who?" asked Bloodgood.

"Manny and the others!" said Iris franticly, "they're…they're going to go outside and…"

"Over my decapitated body!" said Bloodgood irately. With that she hurried out of the office, followed by Frankie, Raven and the others.

* * *

They soon found Manny Taur with Heath, Slow Moe, Romulus and Braham, all of them standing in the hallway near the front door of the school.

"Then it's agreed," said Braham as he held five straws in his hand, "whoever gets the short straw does it."

"Does what?" asked Bloodgood as she irately placed her head in her hands.

At that Manny and the other boys looked rather sheepish and a little uncomfortable at the sight of Bloodgood's head glaring at them.

"I'll ask you young gentlemen again; what are you going to do?" asked Bloodgood.

"You now have fifteen minutes!" shouted Irvin.

"We were deciding which of us would go out and give that jackass with the loudspeaker a piece of our minds, Headmistress," said Romulus.

"You can't do that!" exclaimed Iris, "those horrible things will kill you!"

"Like they could take out this bull!" boasted Manny.

"You can't honestly expect us to believe that just one of you is going out there to fight," said Avery.

"Fight? Are you kidding?" asked Heath indignantly, "no way are we going out there!"

"Like just one of us has any chance against an army of those things," said Romulus.

"We're just going to taunt the enemy, that's all," said Braham, to which Slow Moe moaned in agreement.

"Oh, well, that's not so bad," said Frankie.

"It's still a risk that I will not condone," said Bloodgood, "there will be no taunting of the enemy at this school; it's unseemly, uncouth and overall in bad taste."

"Headmistress!" said Braham irately, "do you expect us to simply be idle while that barbarian outside verbally assaults our ears?!"

"You're expected to behave like a civilized vampire and take the higher road," said Bloodgood.

"Yeah, well, I'm not so civilized," said Manny, "I'll do it." With that the bullheaded Minotaur stomped towards the nearest window.

"Manny! Don't!" pleaded Iris.

"Stop right this instant, Manny Taur!" shouted Bloodgood.

"I'm just gonna shout out the window," said Manny as he reached the window, "I'm not even gonna stick my head out, it'll be fine."

"You know have fourteen minutes!" shouted Irivn as Manny opened the window.

"Your mama has fourteen minutes!" shouted Manny, whom then quickly closed the window.

"That's it?" asked a dumbfounded Heath.

"Uh…yeah, that's it," said Manny.

"Are you saying that after all that bluster and posturing," said Braham, "that you couldn't come up with a better insult?"

"Uh…yeah, that's pretty much all I had," said Manny.

"Oh, you handsome but still a dummy dummy," said Iris as she worriedly placed her arms around his.

"YOU WHO JUST SHOUTED!" bellowed Irvin, "WHAT WAS THAT YOU SAID ABOUT MY MOTHER!?"

"I think you struck a nerve there," said a grinning Romulus.

"I did?" asked Manny, "I mean…of course I did! I'm the insult king after all!"

"If you're such a master of the taunt," said Braham, "do it again, strike another nerve."

"Okay, I will," said Manny as he went to the window.

"He's not that stupid, is he?" asked Raven.

"Your mamma's so fat, I took a picture of her last Christmas, and it's still printing!" shouted Manny.

"He is," said Cupid.

"Your mamma's so dumb, she got locked in the grocery store and starved!"

"Okay, that's enough, Manny," said Iris.

"Your mamma's so fat, she shares both sides of the family!"

"Seriously, stop it, Manny!" said Iris.

"Your mamma's so dumb, she put a watch in the piggy bank and said she was saving time!"

At that both Abbey and Heath laughed. "What?" asked Abbey as she saw the annoyed look from Frankie and the others, "it was funny."

"Your mamma's so fat, she'd give a vampire diabetes!"

"You know, he's really good at this," said an impressed Clawd.

"Don't encourage him," said an irate Clawdeen.

"And here's the killer!" said Manny, "Your mamma's so ugly, she looked out the window and got arrested for _moooooooning_!"

"Stop it!" laughed Heath as he and a giggling Abbey nearly fell over, "I can't…I can't breathe!"

"THAT DOES IT!" exclaimed Irvin, "NO ONE INSULTS MY MOTHER! ORPHNOCHS! FANGIRE! GO FORTH AND KILL!"

"You just had to push the envelope," said an irate Lagoona at Manny as the assembled Kaijin assumed their true forms and rushed towards the school.

"Uh…sorry?" asked Manny.

Just then came there was one, then another, then several more explosions outside.

"Ah, they've reached the first layer of the minefield," said Bloodgood as another explosion sounded.

"You really expect a minefield to take out a Kaijin?" asked Tobias.

At that Ghoulia moaned as he pointed out the window, from which could be seen a green flash.

"Oh, they're plasma mines," said Tobias, "yeah, those will do much more damage."

"But will they destroy an Orphnoch or Fangire?" asked Ian as he and the others looked out of the other nearby windows. They saw several Fangire and Orphnoch cautiously making their way across the grounds towards the school proper.

Just then they saw an Orphnoch step on a mine and was engulfed in a blast of green energy. The creature emerged from the blast, staggering about like a drunkard, only to step on another mine. When the green blast cleared, the creature was covered in blue flames as it stumbled and fell to the ground, collapsing into dust.

Another blast went off and from it was thrown a Fangire, whom then slammed into a tree and shattered, its pulsating soul rising up into the air.

"We really have to do something to keep those things from getting away," said Lance, "Fangire souls do regenerate."

"They do more than regenerate," said Avery, "but that's not important right now."

"That minefield won't last forever," said Dexter.

"There are other traps," said Bloodgood.

Just then a Fangire fell into a concealed pit, screaming in terror for several seconds until it fell too far away to be heard.

"Oh, the old bottomless pit," said an impressed Frankie, "that's a great trap."

"So's that," said Clawdeen as she pointed at an Orphnoch that was hoisted up by a snare that had enough kinetic energy, it flung the creature away from the school like a catapult.

"And that," said Lagoona as she pointed at another Orphnoch, one that was caught in a bear trap that electrocuted it.

"Hey! I think I see Irvin!" said Jessie. She then pointed out the lone human standing with two black cloaked individuals and a dozen more Kaijin, all located just outside the school property line.

"Looks like another Normie to me," said Cupid, "then again, so did Cuthbert, Ophelia and Manfred."

"Trust me, he's no Normie," said Frankie.

As if in response to Frankie's statement, the figure that was Irvin raised his hands and summoned a beach ball sized sphere of dark energy and tossed it onto the grounds. The sphere of dark energy detonated, sending out a pulse wave that set off the remaining mines and traps on the grounds.

"Uh…maybe I shouldn't have badmouthed his mom," said Manny sheepishly.

"Ya think?!" Clawdeen asked irately.

"Let's try this again," said Irvin, "ORPHNOCHS AND FANGIRE! GO FORTH AND KILL!"

With that the assembled Kaijin advanced towards the school building again.

But then there was a massive explosion that knocked two Orphnochs and one Fangire down, while stopping the other creatures from advancing further.

"What was that?" asked Frankie as another explosion went off, this one directly kitting an Fangire, shattering it and releasing its pulsating soul into the air.

"That would be the resident Gargoyles," said Bloodgood.

"With what, a bazooka?" asked Jessie.

"More like a mortar tube," said Tobias as another explosion went off, this one knocking down several Kaijin and forcing the rest back beyond the boundary line.

"You gave the Gargoyles a mortar?" asked a shocked Cupid.

"Be grateful that's all they have," said Bloodgood, "they asked for machine guns and howitzers. I told them that a howitzer wouldn't fit on the roof and automatic weapons are illegal in this state."

"So you gave them mortar shells and a launch tube?!" asked an exasperated Cupid.

At that Ghoulia moaned something, then brought up on her computer the schematics for a modified potato gun.

"Oh, you made one for them," said Cupid, "that's different, I guess. But what are they using for explosives?"

At that Ghoulia moaned something in an annoyed tone.

"Alright, I won't ask you," said Cupid, "but how many shells do they have?"

"Enough to hold them off until we can think of something else," said Frankie.

"Uh…that may not be enough time," said Heath as he looked out the window, "one of those black robbed guys, he's doing something weird with his hands."

Everyone looked out the window and saw one of the Shadow Acolytes' hands were crackling with electricity. The black robbed man raised his hands and a double bolt of lightning shot at and hit the roof, followed by the sound of several Gargoyles squealing in pain, then the zapped creatures tumbled off the roof, along with the destroyed makeshift mortar.

"So much for that plan," said Raven as the Kaijin began advancing towards the school again, while more Kaijin arrived and gathered around Irvin.

"They still have to get inside," said Bloodgood, "every door and window is reinforced with a Material Emancipation Grill."

"But what is a Material Emancipation Grill?" asked Apple as one of the Orphnochs reached the front door and tried to break it down, only for a blue force field to knock it back several feet.

"Oh, that's a Material Emancipation Grill," said Apple.

"Yeah! That's slowed them down!" said Deuce as he and the others saw the Kaijin back away from the front door.

Just then Frankie's cell phone began ringing.

"I thought they jammed all digital communications," said Avery as Frankie looked at her phone, the caller I.D. saying that the number was unlisted.

"I think someone really wants to talk to us," said Frankie. She answered the call and put it on speaker, "hello, Irvin."

"Your headmistress is quite the tenacious planner, Ms. Stein," said an irate-sounding Irvin.

"I wouldn't have survived my initial decapitation if I weren't, Mr. Weis," said Bloodgood.

"I know, and I respect that," said Irvin, "seriously, you and yours have more than earned my respect, but also my ire."

"Well, I'm glad my students and I have made such an impression on you," said Bloodgood.

"No more bantering, you mutant filth!" snapped Irvin, "just what do you hope to accomplish by resisting? I've already made it clear that no help is coming! Monster High stands alone! Do you honestly believe that a school for freaks can resist the combined might of Obsidian and Dai Shocker?"

"This school for freaks isn't alone, you bastard!" Chad shouted, "just you wait until Clair gets a hang of her powers! She'll…"

"Shut up!" hissed Avery as Frankie covered the phone, while Clair shook her head.

"Don't let them know that she's the new Kiva," said Avery, "and don't mention us."

"Obsidian doesn't know we're here," said Raven, "we'd like to keep it that way for a while."

"I know you can still hear me, Ms. Stein," said Irvin, "I don't know what you're trying to hide from me, but it matters not. Keep your secrets, what little good it'll do you." With that the call ended.

"What a pisser," said Ian.

"But he's not bluffing," said Bloodgood, "while we have significant stores of food, water and other essential supplies, the enemy can wait us out."

"I refuse to believe that no one is coming to help," said Cleo as she dramatically posed in the style of her people, "how can he prevent our families from noticing that we haven't come home, let alone called? Why, I'll bet my father is on his way with his own private security force to relieve the situation. I'll bet he'll be here in less than five minutes."

"I didn't get the impression that he was lying," said Raven.

"But how could he stop our parents from coming to help?" Clawdeen asked, "how can he make them not care?"

"Who knows what dark powers the proxies of Obsidian possess?" asked Tobias.

Just then Bloodgood's phone beeped. She pulled it out and activated an app that linked her phone to the hologram display in her office, projecting a smaller but identical display of Monster High and the enemy forces.

"They're on the move," said Bloodgood as a large number of enemy dots broke away from the main group at the boundary line.

"Are they trying to get in through another door?" asked Dexter, "or a window or a tower?"

"They can't get past the Material Emancipation Grids," said Bloodgood, "and if they try to break through the walls themselves, they'll find an even bigger surprise waiting."

"Wait! What is that place?" asked Raven as she pointed at a specific point on the display.

"That's the new outdoor Creepateria," said Frankie, "complete with patio seating and a new healthy menu."

"About time," said Cupid. She then looked at Avery, Tobias, Dexter, Apple, Maddie and Raven, "you wouldn't believe how unhealthy the food here was."

"I try not to imagine," said Apple.

"Hey! They're stopping at the patio!" said Lagoona, "what are those mangy dingos up to?"

"Ghoulia, please tell me you can get the internal security cameras back up," said Bloodgood.

At that Ghoulia moaned something along the line of 'just a second' as she worked furiously on her laptop.

"Look at her go!" said an amazed Dexter, "and here I thought that zombies were stupid."

"Appearances can be deceiving," said Raven.

It was then that Ghoulia moaned in triumph as her laptop now showed multiple views from the school's security cameras. Ghoulia then brought up the exterior view from the outdoor eating area, where a dozen Kaijin were waiting a few yards from the Creepateria patio doors, while three Fangire were clustered together.

"What are they doing?" asked Ian.

As if in response, the three Fangire that had features of crabs began to emit pulses and crackles of dark energy, then merged into a form that resembled an energy cannon that moved on crab-like legs.

"Oh, that's not good," said a highly worried Frankie.

"So they've got an oversized blaster!" said Clawd, "big deal. That Emancipator grill or whatever it is, it'll stop anything."

"I don't think so," said Jackson nervously, "the Material Emancipation Grid was designed to prevent solid matter from passing from one point to another, but not energy."

It was then that the Fangire cannon began charging energy and fired a blast at the door, tearing it off its hinges and violently shaking the whole school as if suffering a small earthquake.

"That's definitely not good," said Frankie as every recovered from being shaken up by the blast.

At that Ghoulia moaned urgently as she pointed at her laptop, which showed a view of the Creepateria interior as first one, then several Fangire and Orphnoch began charging in.

"Time to go to work!" shouted Ian as he held up the metal case containing the Faiz gear. He opened it and pulled out the belt, phone and additional equipment, which now contained a collapsible sword in the shape of a motorcycle handbrake. He then ran off into the corridors.

"You too, Clair," said Jessie as she and the others ran after Ian, "you're gonna fight as well."

"What, now?" asked Clair, "I can't fight now! I just got these powers! I don't even know how to fight!"

"Just ball up your fists and assert yourself," said Jessie, "it's easy, once you get the hang of it."

"I…I don't know," said Clair as she looked downcast, "I…I just…"

"It's going to be alright," said Jackson, "I believe in you."

"We all do," said Frankie.

But then she and the others heard and felt an explosion ahead, followed by several cries of pain.

"Faith alone won't be enough," said Jessie as she put the belt around her waist, "not unless you're a certain Son of God, but that's a whole other kettle of fish." With thats he began dialing.

 **5 5 5**

 **STANDING BY**

"Henshin!" shouted Jessie as she raised the phone up, then brought it down to click into place on the belt.

 **COMPLETE**

With a flash of red energy, Jessie became Faiz, just as two Orphnochs appeared from around a corner just ahead. Faiz held the handbrake-like sword grip and it extended to its full length. She rushed in and slashed at one of the Orphnochs, delivering a massive amount of spark damage that knocked the creature back several paces and startling the other.

"No more moping around!" shouted Clawd, "time to get serious!" with that he dashed towards the other Orphnoch and began hitting it with massive blows, while dodging the creature's clumsy counterattacks.

"Are we gonna let our big brother show us up?" asked Howleen.

"Not on your life!" said Clawdeen. With that she and Howleen dashed in, joining Clawd in his battle. Together, the three werewolf siblings dominated the hapless Orphnoch.

But then three Fangire approached from the other side of the corridor.

"Now's the time to step up and shine, Clair!" said Ian.

"Siegfried wouldn't have chosen you as his successor if he didn't believe in you," said Lance, "you are one of the chosen! Chosen by the forces of light to stand firm against the darkness."

"Okay," said Clair in a slightly unsure tone, "I'm ready. Kivat!"

"I'm ready to!" shouted the golden bat as he flew around Clair, _"Kivat Ikuze!"_

Clair grabbed Kivat in her right hand and held him over her left.

" _Gabut!"_ shouted Kivat as he big the web of flesh between Clair's thumb and forefinger.

A rising and falling, distorted whistle could be heard as stainglass-like patters flowed from the bite up Clair's arm and onto her face, while ghostly chains circled her waist and materialized into the belt of Kiva.

"Henshin!" said Clair as she clicked Kivat into place on the belt.

But instead of being covered in mirror-like energy, dark red energy crackled from the belt across Clair's body. She screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor as the belt vanished and Kivat flew free in a startled manner.

"Clair!" shouted Jackson as he ran to her side, "Clair!"

"What happened?!" exclaimed Ian as he, Chad and Lance ran to Clair, "why didn't she transform?"

"I…I don't understand," said Kivat, "it should have worked."

"We'll worry about that later!" said Frankie as the three Fangire approached. She then had to duck a bolt of dark energy from one of the creatures. The bolt went on behind her and damaged part of the wall.

"No one messes with my school!" shouted Frankie as electricity flowed from her neck bolts and down her arms. She aimed her hands as the offending Fangire and blasted it with a double lightning bolt, knocking the creature down.

" _Viva_ Monster High!" shouted Rochelle as she charged in and delivered a stone-hard punch to one of the Fangire, while Robecca delivered a steam-powered kick to the other.

"We've got to help them!" shouted Apple as she, Raven, Maddie, Dexter, Avery, Tobias and Cupid remained just out of sight of the battle.

"No! Not yet!" said Tobias.

"Why wait!?" exclaimed Dexter, "these are our friends and they're fighting for their lives!"

"They don't seem to be doing that bad," said Raven as she watched Clawd, Clawdeen and Howleen tear apart the Orphnoch they had been fighting, the remains of the creature bursting into blue flames and crumbling into dust. The werewolf siblings then attacked another Orphnoch, while Lagoona and Gil faced a third. Faiz stabbed the Orphnoch he had been fighting where the heart should be. The creature gave a wail of pain as it burst into flames and turned to dust, while Faiz turned to face another.

At the same time, Frankie was electrocuting two Fangire at once, while Rochelle and Robecca had shattered the two they were fighting. Abbey and Heath were alternating their elemental powers on another Fangire, while Deuce was fending off two of the creatures as Cleo fumbled in her purse for something.

"Still, we just can't stand around while they're doing all the fighting," said Apple, "we have to do something."

"We will, just not yet," said Tobias.

"He's right, we need to wait," said Apple.

"For what?" asked Dexter.

"For the right moment to reveal ourselves, duh!" said Maddie as she pulled a collapsible table out of her hat, followed by her faithful tea set, which Earl Gray helped serve, "but don't worry, the right moment's coming, right, Mr. AnderwK9000?"

 _Maddie, please don't try to get me to spoil things._

"I know," said Maddie as she added sugar to her tea, "I'm just keeping my friends in the loop."

"Well, I'm not going to wait around for the right moment," said Cupid irately as she summoned her bow and exploding arrows from a pocket dimension or wherever Olympian gods keep their stuff, "this used to be my school and these are my friends!" She knocked an arrow to her bowstring, drew back, aimed and fired at a Fangire trying to sneak up on Frankie.

Cupid released, the arrow flying true and striking the offending Kaijin between its stain glass-like eyes and shattering it.

But then a massive Orphnoch with features of a gorilla stampeded into the area and with one swipe of its oversized arms, knocked Clawd, Clawdeen and Howleen off their feet and into several nearby lockers with enough force to cause part of the ceiling to collapse on them.

"No!" shouted Frankie as she tried to rush to her friends, only to be grabbed by the Gorilla Orphnoch and thrown into Rochelle, Robecca, Abbey and Heath.

Faiz tried to attack the creature but she was brushed aside like a twig. The Gorilla Orphnoch then hit and knocked Deuce down, separating the son of Medusa from his sunglasses. Before he could close his eyes, Deuce's gaze found Avery. With a blast of green energy, Avery was turned to stone.

"What…what?!" exclaimed Apple as she realized that Avery had been petrified, while Deuce landed hard on the floor. Covering his eyes with one hand and groping for his shades with the other, he was unaware that the Gorilla Orphnoch was advancing towards him.

"Hey! You!" shouted Cleo as she pulled out a crocodile-like amulet from her purse, "no one hurts my man and gets away with it!" she pointed the amulet at the creature and fired a beam of orange magic at it.

Yet the attack had no effect, other than driving the creature into a fit of rage as it began mindlessly rampaging through the halls, smashing lockers and destroying the walls and ceiling with reckless abandon.

"Oh, great, Cleo!" said Cupid as she fitted another arrow to her bow, "you made it worse!"

"I didn't mean to!" said Cleo as she found Deuce's glasses and helped cover his eyes.

"Then leave the magic to the professionals!" shouted Raven as she stepped forward, "if this isn't a right enough moment, I don't know what is!" she then charged up a sphere of her own dark magic and threw it at the creature, yet the sphere missed it by inches.

"You call yourself a professional?!" exclaimed Cleo as she helped Deuce back up.

"It was supposed to miss, the first time that is," said a confidently smiling Raven.

Just then the sphere swung around and slammed into the back of the Gorilla Orphnoch, dealing a massive amount of damage and nearly knocking it down.

"Oh, a boomerang spell," said Dexter, "cool."

"You're welcome to join me," said Raven as she hit the creature with a spell that impaled it with a thousand needles.

"Never mind that!" exclaimed Apple, "What about Avery!? He's been turned to stone!"

"It'll wear off in a few minutes," said Deuce, "he'll be fine."

"In the meantime," said Faiz as she took the chip off the back of her phone, "let's finish this bit of dirty business!" She then attached the chip into the handle of her sword.

 **READY**

She then opened the phone and pressed Enter

 **EXCEEDE CHARGE**

A pulse of red energy flowed up the phone, down his arm and into the sword, charging the blade. Faiz then slashed the sword at the creature, sending out a blast of energy, which she dashed along with it.

The energy blast hit the creature, trapping and suspending it in midair within a cylinder of red energy.

Faiz then rushed in and delivered a double slash at the captured Gorilla Orphnoch. A red circle with a diagonal slash in it appeared as the creature burst into blue flames and crumbled into dust.

"And that's that," said Faiz. With that she powered down and took the belt off, handing it to Ian, "your turn next."

"I don't think I'll get the chance today," said Ian as he looked around, seeing no more Orphnoch or Fangire in the area.

"They seemed to have retreated for the moment," said Bloodgood as she sheathed a saber, apparently having spent the whole battle dueling and just now finished destroying one of the Kaijin.

"Oh my ghoul!" exclaimed Lagoona, "Clawdeen!"

"I'm alright!" said a mildly disoriented Clawdeen as she and Clawd groggily extracted themselves from the pile of locker and ceiling debris that had fallen on them.

"I'm fine too if anyone cares," said Clawd as he brushed dust and bits of rubble off his letterman jacket, then scratched some dust out from behind his ears. He then looked around, "wait, where's Howleen?"

"Howleen?" asked Clawdeen urgently as she turned back to the debris pile and began digging through it, "Howleen!? Where are you?!"

Clawd quickly joined her, followed by Abbey, Frankie, Deuce and the others. But after several minutes of frantic searching, there was no trace of the young werewolf girl.

"She was right there with us!" said a panicking Clawdeen, "I swear she was right there!"

"We'll find her, Clawdeen, I promise!" said Frankie in a reassuring manner, "maybe she managed to get free while we were all busy with that one big Orphnoch."

"And go where?" asked Clawd, "it's not as if she would run away from the fight."

"Speaking of missing friends," said Gil, "anyone seen Rochelle and Robecca?"

"And where is Manny and Iris?" asked Abbey.

"Oh, they're probably hiding somewhere," said Heath, "things must have gotten too intense for them."

Just then everyone heard Irvin's voice over his loudspeaker, "Headless Headmistress Bloodgood! I have some of your precious students! If you wish to avoid arranging several funerals, meet me in the lunchroom and we'll discuss terms!"

"The bastard!" said Ian, "he used the fight to take hostages!"

"He didn't!" growled a wrathful Clawdeen, "he's dead if he did!" with that she dashed down the wreckage-strewn corridor towards the Creepateria.

"Clawdeen! Wait!" shouted Frankie as she and the others dashed after her.

* * *

They caught up with Clawdeen just outside the Creepateria, where inside stood Irvin, a full score of Orphnochs and Fangire. Bound and kneeling in front of the Kaijin was Howleen, Twyla, Rochelle, Robecca, Venus, Manny and Iris.

"You piece of crap!" barked Clawdeen as she tried to rush at Irvin, only to be held back by Clawd, Frankie and Abbey.

"Well, hello again, Ms. Wolf," said Irvin as he gave a sinister smile, "how delightful to see you and your friends in the flesh again. Ms. Stein, you're as lovely as ever."

"Let them go, Irvin," said Frankie after she made sure her friends had Clawdeen safely restrained.

"Ah, you see, I can't do that," said Irvin, "that's just not how it works. If I let them go, then I have nothing to bargain with."

"Then what the bloody blue hell do you want, you wanker!?" exclaimed Lagoona.

"You know damn well what I want, you mouth-breathing, aquatic whore!" snapped Irvin, "give me the necklace or I start executing your fellow freaks!"

"Don't give him anything!" shouted Howleen, only to be viciously slapped across the face by one of the Fangire.

At that Clawdeen barked with unbridled rage as she once again tried to get to her sister. This time it took Abbey, Heath, Clawd, Deuce, Ian and Lance to hold her down.

It was then that everyone heard Valentine and Draculaura laughing as the insidious vampire couple strode through the opening in the Creepateria, stopping next to Irvin, "someone needs to put a muzzle on that mutt," said Valentine.

"Draculaura!" exclaimed Clawd. Now it was his turn to be restrained as he tried to get to the twisted vampiress.

"Oh, the little puppy still carries a torch," said Draculaura, "I'd almost feel sorry for you, dog, almost. Now stay back before I have you fixed!"

"You undead bastard!" said Cupid as she pushed her way past Frankie and the others, "what the Tartarus did you do to her?!"

"Chariclo Arganthone Cupid?" asked Valentine.

"I thought you transferred to another school," said Draculaura.

"I did," Cupid, "but I heard you weren't feeling well, Draculaura, something about your heart being bent out of shape or something like that," she then reached into her quiver and pulled out an arrow with a pink heart-shaped head, "fortunately, yours truly has a cure for that."

She knocked the arrow to her bow and aimed for Draculaura's heart, "time to remind you why you fell in love with Clawd in the first place!" she then loosed the arrow.

But Draculaura caught the arrow between two fingers and snapped it in half, "sorry, no messing with my heart, freak!"

"That…that's not right," said a startled and disturbed Cupid, "nobody can catch one of my arrows."

"She's not the same ghoul you last saw, you obsolete Olympian," said Valentine, "oh, and Irvin, old sport, we know you were planning on moving ahead with the plan without us."

"Fortunately, we found what we needed with plenty of time to get back," said Draculaura as a Fangire walked up with a wooden case. Draculaura opened the case and took out what appeared to be a gasmask, as well as a glass beaker filled with a green gas that glowed with an insidious light.

"What the hell is that stuff?" Irvin asked as he cautiously eyed the beaker.

"The results of a rare and most vile piece of magic," said Valentine as Draculaura took out a small canister and connected it to the beaker, allowing some of the gas into it. She then connected the canister to the gasmask.

"As for the masks themselves," said Valentine as another Fangire brought out and opened another case that contained a second mask and canister, "one could say that they're reverse gasmasks. Instead of keeping toxic fumes out, they let in specific fumes."

"And what does this type of fumes do?" asked Irvin.

"You'll find out," said Draculaura as she loaded the second canister with gas, then connected the canister to the second mask, "bring the lovers!"

"Hey! Watch it!" shouted Manny as he and Iris were manhandled over to Draculaura and again forced to kneel.

"Manny!" said Iris as tears began to fall from her one eye, "whatever happens, I love you!"

"I love you to, Iris!" said Manny as he struggled to break free, yet the creatures restraining him were too powerful for the young minotaur.

"What are you going to do to them!?" demanded Frankie, yet her outburst went unheard.

"The masks themselves are enchanted to adapt to the faces of their wearers," said Valentine, "forming an airtight seal to ensure the victims receive a full dose of the vapors."

"But what are you going to do to them?" pleaded Frankie.

"Just watch, ghoulfriend," said a viciously smirking Draculaura as she handed the masks to two Orphnoch, "do it!"

"Manny!" shouted Iris as one of the Orphnochs forced the mask onto her, the insidious object morphing to form an airtight fit over her face.

"You get that thing off my woman!" shouted Manny as the other Orphnoch forced the second mask on to his face.

There was a double click and hiss as the gas was released inside the masks. Manny and Iris tried to hold their breath, but only for a few seconds. They both gasped loudly and were forced to inhale the gas.

"Unlike mustard gas or other forms of chemical warfare," said Valentine, "the vapors produce no harmful physical effects."

"See?" asked Draculaura as she pointed at Manny and Iris, whom were breathing in slow, even breaths, "they're perfectly fine. Well, mostly fine."

The masks were removed and the Kaijin backed away, revealing Manny and Iris, neither of them seeming to suffer any harm as they knelt, breathing deeply, their faces showing neutral yet calm expressions. But something wasn't right with them, something not right at all.

"Their eyes!" exclaimed Lagoona as she and the others realized that the eyes of Manny and Iris were fully dilated.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"You're right, it's as if they're in a trance," said Cleo.

"Not just any trance," said Valentine, "a trance that will leave them open to anything Draculaura and I tell them to do."

"Impossible!" said Jackson as he and a weakened but still functional Clair, walked up to and joined Frankie and the others, "you can't make a gas that'll make someone obey specific people."

"You can with the magic we've found," said Valentine.

"You still don't believe?" asked Draculaura, "I'll prove it!" she then pulled out a knife with a serrated edge and knelt down beside Iris, "Iris, would you kindly take this and cut off Manny's nose ring?"

Her face still neutral, Iris took the knife, stood up, walked over to Manny and without hesitation, cut off his nose ring.

"Oh My Ghoul!" exclaimed a horrified Frankie as she and the others saw Iris drop the bloody knife and ring, while more blood freely dripped from Manny's mutilated nose, yet the bewitched minotaur remained kneeling, barely flinching from the impromptu operation.

"No hesitation, no pain, only perfect obedience," said Valentine, "you want more proof? Manny? Would you kindly strangle Iris?"

At that Manny stood up and without even an instant pause, placed his gigantic hands around Iris's throat and cut off her air. Iris gasped for oxygen yet didn't struggle as Manny choked the life out of her.

"For the love of Ra and all the other gods!" exclaimed Cleo, "you've made your point!"

"That I have," said Valentine, "Manny, would you kindly let Iris go?"

At that Manny released Iris and backed away, while Iris collapsed to the floor, gasping and coughing for oxygen.

"The effect of the vapors is temporary," said Valentine, "yet until it wears off, they will follow any and every order Draculaura and I give them."

"They would walk into traffic and get run over by a bus and wouldn't even complain," said Draculaura.

"And what do you hope to accomplish by this…this display?" asked a highly disgusted Bloodgood.

"The acquisition of the necklace, of course," said Valentine.

"Give me back my necklace or I'll give out more doses of the fumes," said Draculaura. She then walked over to Robecca and Rochelle, whom glared up at the vile vampiress with hate-fueled eyes, "perhaps these two would like to surrender their wills?"

"Traitor!" exclaimed Rochelle, " _salope turncoat!"_ at that she spat at Draculaura's feet, _"Allez vous faire foutre!"_

"Perhaps I should make Robecca rip your tongue out," said Draculaura, "After she tears your wings off," she then looked at Robecca, whom had adverted her eyes, as if refusing to even acknowledge the vile vampiress, "or perhaps I can make Rochelle crumple you into a pile of scrap iron."

"Why don't you just leave them alone!?" exclaimed Howleen.

"Oh, I almost forgot you where there, dog," said Draculaura as the masks were loaded with more of the gas, "yes, you'll receive some of the fumes, you and your dear friend there."

"No! You leave Twyla alone!" exclaimed Howleen.

"If only that ghostly ghossip was here, Spectra," said Valentine, "I'm sure she'd enjoy recording two best friends tear each other to pieces."

"THAT DOES IT!" shouted Maddie as she pushed her way past Frankie and the others, a look of unbridled rage on her normally happy face, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU, VALENTINE!"

Maddie took off her hat, flipped it into its disk form and threw it at Valentine. He barely dodged a critical blow but the edge of the disk sliced open his face from below the nose to just above his left eye.

Valentine shrieked in surprise and pain as he clutched at his assaulted face, staggering back from Howleen and Twyla.

"That'll teach you to hurt my friends," said Maddie defiantly as she caught her disk, "you wobbling wangdoodle!"

"Oh, my dearest!" exclaimed Draculaura as she rushed to and comforted Valentine, holding a lace handkerchief to the cut on his face, despite the lack of blood from the wound, "what has she done to you?"

"I'd like to know that myself," said one of the Fangire as it and its comrades glared at Maddie.

"Who the hell are you, freak show!?" exclaimed one of the Orphnochs.

"And where'd she come from?" asked another Orphnoch.

"She's my best friend," said Raven as she stood next to Maddie, "and she's from Wonderland, got a problem with it?"

"I don't have a problem with it, Raven," said Maddie as she smiled at her best friend, "do you have a problem?"

"Nope, no problem here," said Raven as she smiled back.

"You!" exclaimed Irvin, "I know who you are, but you're not supposed to be here! Cuthbert..."

"Is no more," finished Apple as she stood next to Raven, "I ended his rampage. I wish it hadn't come to that, but his evil had to be stopped. I just happened to be in the right place and time to do the deed."

At that Irvin smiled viciously, "well isn't this a treat. Not only do I have the honor of presenting the Star of Rosskarn to the Obsidian Council, I also get to present Raven Queen & the heart of Apple White. Cuthbert was a fool to let two such prime and beautiful prizes slip through his fingers."

"You'll have to get past us to get to them!" said Dexter as he, Avery and Tobias stepped forward.

"Just who the hell are these people!?" demanded Valentine, "and why isn't my face regenerating!?"

"Yeah, why isn't he healing?" asked Frankie, "I thought vampires healed quickly."

"Not with that disk," said Irvin coldly, "or any other weapon from Wonderland, or from Ever After for that matter." He then smugly spoke to Valentine, "I'd say you're looking at several days before the wound fully closes, and the odds of you avoiding a permanent scar aren't in your favor."

"Are you saying I'll be marked for unlife?!" exclaimed Valentine. He then glared at Maddie, and if looks could kill, she'd be dead three times over, "you…you'll pay for this!" he then shifted his gaze on Howleen and Twyla, "after I make these miserable pups suffer! Expose them to the vapors!"

"NO!" shouted Cupid as she aimed and shot two arrows at the Orphnochs holding the masks. The arrows hit their targets, dealing critical damage to the creatures and crumbling them to dust, while dropping the masks.

"CAREFUL!" shouted Draculaura as she hastily picked up the masks, "those are really hard to replace!" she handed the masks to a Fangire, then before anyone could react, rapidly rushed up on Cupid and grabbed her with one hand by her throat.

"I should have done this the moment I saw you again!" said a viciously smiling Draculaura as she lifted Cupid up by her neck, the pink-haired demigoddess helplessly trying to break the vile vampiress's grip.

"I've never tasted demigod blood," said Draculaura as she bared her fangs, "but there's a first time for everything!"

But then the vile vampiress sensed an approaching attack and barely dodged a sword slash from Tobias, yet she couldn't avoid a deep cut on her wrist from the Sasword Yavier, forcing her to drop Cupid.

"Are you alright, Cupid!?" exclaimed Tobias as he caught Cupid with one hand, the other gripping and pointing the Sasword Yavier at Draculaura.

"I won't be singing any time soon," said Cupid in a slightly raspy voice, "but yeah, I'm fine."

"You jerk! You cut me!" exclaimed Draculaura as she clutched at her wounded wrist.

"We're going to do a lot more before we're done today," said Dexter.

"And just what are you going to do, Normie scum?" asked Valentine as he placed a comforting arm around Draculaura's shoulder.

"We'll do as my grandmother always said," remarked Avery as he pointed towards a ray of sunlight streaming from the forced opening in the Creepateria, "'no matter how hard and hopeless things get, always do the very best you can, 'cause that's all that life asks of you.'"

"What a ridiculous tidbit of wisdom," said an irate Valentine as the assembled Kaijin readied to attack again.

"I'm partial to agree," said Tobias, "but that doesn't make it any less true!"

 **STANDBY**

It was then that Draculaura began screaming in fright as she frantically thrashed about, reaching behind her for some intrusive object, "get it off me! GET IT OFF ME!"

"Get what off?" asked Valentine.

As if in answer, the purple metal scorpion that was Sasword Zecter, scurried up Draculaura's back and onto her shoulder. It then jumped onto Valentine's face, scuttling around for a second before jumping off, just as Valentine slapped his own face in an attempt to rid himself of the creature.

Sasword Zecter then scurried up to and jumped into Tobias' waiting hand, while in the other he held the Sasword Yavier upside down. "Henshin!" shouted Tobias as he clicked the meal scorpion into place on his sword.

 **HENSHIN**

Energy hexagons flowed from the sword and covered Tobias as he turned it blade-side up, materializing into the Masked form of Sasword.

"Well, that's just dandy," said an irate Irvin, "more Riders."

"'More Riders?!'" exclaimed one of the Fangire, just before Sasword stabbed it where the heart should be.

"Oh, no," said the Fangire as its body shattered, releasing its pulsating soul.

"Our turn!" shouted Dexter as his Rider Belt and Avery's appeared around their waists, while their respective beetle Zecters flew into the area and they caught them.

"Henshin!" shouted both Avery and Dexter as they clicked their Zecters into place on their belts.

 **HENSHIN**

Energy hexagons flowed from the two Zecters across their bodies, materializing into the beetle-like armor that was the Masked forms of Kabuto and Gatack.

"Oh, those guys," said one of the Orphnoch, only to be blasted in the face by a shot from Kabuto's Kunai Gun, setting it alight and crumbling the creature into dust.

Gatack then fired off a barrage of blasts from his Gatack Vulcan, the quad-barrel energy cannon dealing massive damage to the assembled Fangire and Orphnochs, while Valentine and Draculaura frantically dodged the blasts in a state of blind panic.

"You idiots!" shouted Irvin at Draculaura and Valentine, "I had everything under control!" he then powered up a dark sphere and threw it at Kabuto, whom barely dodged it, while Gatack and Sasword dodged more dark spheres from the black-robed Shadow Acolytes, while giving the remaining Orphnochs and Fangire a chance to regroup.

"Ian! You're up!" shouted Jessie as she and Lance took cover behind an overturned table.

"I would if I could!" said Ian as he frantically looked around the floor of the Creepateria, "but we have a slight problem!"

"Are you freaking kidding me!?" shouted Lance, "tell me you didn't freaking lose the freaking Faiz Gear!"

"Okay, I didn't lose it," said Ian, "I did drop it and can't remember where."

"I got it!" shouted Chad from a few paces away as he and Jackson hid behind another table. Chad had opened the case and grabbed the belt and phone. He was about to toss it to Jessie when he suddenly froze up, a distant look on his face.

"What are you waiting for!?" exclaimed Ian, "give it here!"

Instead of throwing the belt and phone to Ian, Chad stood up, a determined look on his face as he put the belt around his waist.

"What the hell are you doing, man!?" shouted Lance, "you can't use that!"

"Yes I can," said Chad, "they said I could."

"Who said…wait…you…they…they didn't!" snapped Lance, "they wouldn't…would they?"

"I think we're about to find out," said Jessie as Chad began dialing.

 **5 5 5**

 **STANDING BY**

The klaxon-like sound emitted from the phone as Chad raised it above his head. "Henshin!" he shouted as he brought the phone down and clicked it into place on the belt.

 **COMPLETE**

Red energy streamed from the belt and with a flash of light, Chad had transformed into Faiz.

"They did!" exclaimed Lance, "Alabaster, they chose Chad to be a Rider!"

"They did what now?!" exclaimed a startled Irvin as he and the other Shadow Acolytes ceased their attack on Kabuto, Gatack and Sasword.

"Now!" shouted Kabuto. With that he and Gatack flicked the horns on their Zecters, while Sasword pressed the tail on his. Energy crackled as the armor segments on the three Riders separated.

"Cast Off!" shouted Kabuto, Gatack and Sasword as the first two flicked the horns on their Zecters all the way down, while Sasword brought the tail of his Zecter all the way down.

 **CAST OFF**

The armor segments of all three Riders blasted away and slammed into several Orphnochs and Fangire, knocking them down.

 **CHANGE: SCORPION**

 **CHANGE: STAG BEETLE**

 **CHANGE: BEETLE**

"Okay, I'm a little confused," said Frankie as she and the others watched Kabuto, Gatack and Sasword rip into the remaining Kaijin, while Faiz dueled a single Orphnoch with features of a Stingray, "when did Chad become a Rider?"

"The Alabaster Council, they chose him, duh," said Maddie.

"But why?" asked Clair as she took cover with Raven, Apple and Cupid, "why Chad? And why didn't they choose me?"

"Those are mysteries for another day, I suppose," said Cupid as she watched Sasword decapitate an Orphnoch with adoring eyes, while Apple and Raven watched Kabuto and Gatack demolish a group of Fangire.

"Let's wrap things up," said Kabuto.

"Couldn't agree more!" said Gatack. With that he and Kabuto pressed the button on the side of their belts, "Clock Up!"

 **CLOCK UP**

Reality blurred and brightened as the two beetle-themed Riders accelerated into hyper time. With the enemy Kaijin moving at a snails' pace, Kabuto and Gatack easily delivered massively damaging blows to nearly all the remaining creatures.

 **CLOCK OVER**

Time resumed its normal pace as the Orphnochs and Fangire either crumbled into dust or shattered.

"Rider Slash!" shouted Sasword as he raised and lowered the tail on his Zecter.

 **RIDER SLASH**

"Clock Up!" shouted Sasword as he pressed the button on his belt.

 **CLOCK UP**

Accelerating into hyper time, Sasword rushed at and delivered a triple strike on the last Fangire in the area.

 **CLOCK OVER**

With a crackle of tachyon energy, the creature shattered as time returned to normal.

By now only Faiz was still fighting, easily dominating the Stingray Orphnoch and knocking it down with a punch to the head.

Attaching the laser pointer device to his leg, Faiz opened the phone and pressed Enter.

 **EXCEEDE CHARGE**

A pulse of red energy flowed from the phone down Faiz's leg and into the device. He then rushed at the struggling to get up Stingray Orphnoch and leapt into the air, the device shooting a cone of red energy at the creature.

"Crimson Smash!" shouted Chad as he finished his jump and aimed a flying kick at the Stingray Orphnoch. He merged with the cone, which spun rapidly like a drill and bored a hole through the creature.

Faiz materialized behind the creature just as a red circle with a diagonal line appeared. The Stingray Orphnoch burst into blue flames and crumbled into dust.

"I believe we've worn out our welcome!" said Irvin as he and the Shadow Acolytes backed away a few paces. He raised one hand and summoned a shimmering gray doorway, which the dark magic users stepped into.

"You may have won this round, you insufferable, do-gooder miscreants!" shouted Valentine as he and Draculaura stood just in front of the shimmering gray door, "but we'll be back!"

"This is not over, Cupid!" shouted Draculaura, "nor is it over with you, scorpion boy! You'll pay for cutting Valentine and me!"

"Just go already!" snapped Irvin as he shoved Valentine and Draculaura into the gray door. He looked back at Frankie, Raven and the others. He didn't say anything, but the look of unadulterated contempt he gave our heroes spoke volumes. He then stepped into the shimmering gray door, which vanished after him.

At that Frankie and her fellow students cheered loudly at the sudden reversal of their fortunes.

"And don't come back!" said Maddie smugly as Clawdeen, Clawd and others ran up to Howleen, Twyla, Rochelle and Robecca, whom were unharmed, while Apple ran with her first aid kit to Manny and Iris, whom were still entranced.

"You!" shouted Lance as he glared at Chad as he powered down, "You! How? Why!? Why'd Alabaster pick you?!"

"I don't know," said Chad, "I barely remember talking with them, but they said I had the right stuff."

"Obviously," said an annoyed Ian as he crossed his arms.

"I think we've got other things to worry about," said Jessie.

"How are they?" asked Avery after he powered down and ran over to Apple.

"I'm worried that Iris sustained damage to her windpipe," said Apple as she examined Manny and Iris, "while Manny, well…"

"It's amazing what plastic surgery can do these days," said Lagoona in a hopeful tone, "but what about their noggins?"

"What was that stuff they used to put the whammy on them?" asked Howleen as she endured the overly loving embrace from Clawdeen, "I still can't believe they made Manny and Iris do those horrible things."

"It was an incredibly powerful bewitchment," said Raven, "but I can't even begin to guess what they used."

"At least the baddies are gone for now," said Dexter after he powered down.

"And if they do come back any time soon," said Tobias after powering down, "we'll show them…" that's as far as Tobias got before he lost his balance and collapsed to the floor.

"Tobias!" exclaimed Cupid as she ran over to him, followed by Apple and Avery.

"I…oh my god, my head!" exclaimed Tobias as he placed his hands on the sides of his head, "all of a sudden, my head felt like it was going to explode."

"I don't feel so good either," said Dexter as he nearly lost his balance, leaning against the nearby wall for support, "I hurt all over!"

"Me too!" said Avery, "and…" he then clutched at his stomach, "and I think I'm going to be sick!" he stumbled to a nearby trashcan and vomited into it.

"What's happening to us, Avery?!" asked a now frightened Dexter as Raven grasped his hand in a comforting manner.

"I don't know," gasped Avery after he finished vomiting, while Apple placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He then heaved and clutched his stomach again, "but I do know I shouldn't have eaten so many snacks down in the workshop!" he heaved again, "here comes round two!" He then vomited again into the trashcan.

* * *

… **The Enemy Lair…**

"You Idiots!" shouted Irvin at Valentine and Draculaura, "you lust-obsessed morons! I had everything under control, then you had to barge in and ruin it all!"

"Like hell it's our fault!" snapped Valentine as Draculaura tried to apply a bandage to the long cut on his face, while her own hand was already bandaged, "we were but a moment away from forcing those fools into surrendering the necklace!"

"It was more like a second or two," said Draculaura, "yes, all we had to do was threaten to turn poor, pathetic little Howleen into a mindless slave and Clawdeen would have caved."

"And look what your gambit accomplished!" said Irvin, "not only did we fail to acquire the Star piece, you tipped our hand with that Enthralling Gas, and lost a good number of valuable Kaijin in the process."

"So we'll get more," said Valentine as he shoved Draculaura away from him, then applied the bandage himself, "Kaijin die, that's what they do."

"They're not like Storm Troopers or Goombas," said Irvin, "do you have any idea how much paperwork I'd have to fill out with my superiors in order to get more Orphnochs and Fangire from the source? You simply can't buy Orphnochs and Fangire in a store! Kaijin don't grow on trees!"

"Well, technically, some do, Mr. Weis," said a nearby Shadow Acolyte, "The Inves, the…"

That's as far as the Shadow Acolyte got before seeing the withering glare from Irvin. He hastily bowed himself out of the room."

"Then there's the fact that by revealing the Enthralling Gas or whatever you're calling it," Irvin continued, "those meddling brats will attempt to find a way to counter it. They may be teenagers, but they're not stupid."

"At least our plan was better than yours!" said Draculaura, "if you had just stood aside and…"

"I told you I had the situation under control!" snapped Irvin, "you're the ones who ruined everything by sticking your faces where they weren't invited!"

Just then Irvin's phone rang, "What!?" he exclaimed as he answered the call, "what?! I'm very busy with…WHAT! NOW!?"

"Mind clarifying things for us?" asked Valentine dryly.

"The Obsidian Council," said Irvin nervously as he dropped his phone, "they want a conference with us."

"Really?" asked an excited and delighted Draculaura, "I finally get to speak with The Obsidian Council?! Oh, my ghoul! I've got to get ready! How's my hair? And I need a new outfit! Oh, and I really have to get this hand of mine taken care of!"

"They're calling now," said Irvin.

"Now?!" asked a visibly shocked Valentine, while Draculaura looked equally nervous.

It was then that a holographic projector activated, displaying the shadowed meeting table at which sat the six members of The Obsidian Council.

"Yes, Valentine," said Chairwoman Noir, "now."

"My Council," said Irvin as he, Draculaura and Valentine bowed, "you honor us with this conference."

"Spare the supplications, Mr. Weis," said Chairman Taupe irately, "we know everything."

"Then you know it wasn't our fault, great ones!" said Valentine, "if we had just been given free reign from the start…"

"It's all Frankie's fault!" exclaimed Draculaura, "if she and those freaks at Monster High had just gave back my necklace like they'd been told to, then…"

"I had everything under control, My Council!" said Irvin, "when these idiots barged in and ruined it all!"

"SILENCE!" bellowed Chairman Dusk, causing the three villains to flinch and nearly fall over.

"You weren't brought together to bicker like schoolchildren over who gets to play with a toy!" admonished Chairwoman Sable.

"If you are incapable of cooperating," said Chairwoman Umbra, "then we'll find others who can!"

"Yes, My Council, we understand," said Irvin. He then glared at Valentine and Draculaura, "don't we?"

"Oh, yes, of course," said Valentine, while Draculaura nodded in agreement.

"Then there shouldn't be any further problems on that front," said Chairwoman Umbra.

"Um, if I may slightly change the subject, my Council," said Irvin, "we received some rather disturbing news that I hope you may be able to clarify. Not only did the students and staff of Monster High provide greater resistance than initially calculated, as well as those meddling Riders, Faiz and Kiva, but there were other Riders as well."

"They looked like bugs!" wailed Draculaura, "and they had little bugs! I'm going to have nightmares about purple scorpions crawling over me for decades!"

"I'm going to be seeing that mad girl with the hat in my dreams for a long time too," said Valentine.

"I believe that the intruders are from Ever After, my Council," said Irvin, "among them was Raven Queen and Apple White."

"Those two!" said Chairman Onyx through gritted teeth, "they are definitely becoming thorns in our sides."

"Then it's true, my Council?" asked Irvin, "has Cuthbert fallen?"

"Fallen into hell, yes," said Chairwoman Umbra, "as well as Manfred and some valuable scientists from Foundation X, not to mention countless Worms and a nearly irreplaceable Worm Mother. It'll be months if not years before another can be matured!"

"While your paramour, Ophelia," said Chairwoman Noir, "she is on thin ice."

"Ophelia?" exclaimed a visibly shaken Irvin.

"Friend of yours?" asked Valentine.

"We…we planned on getting married," said Irvin. He then looked desperately at the Obsidian Council, "what did they do to her!?"

"Nothing she can't recover from, Irvin," said Chairman Dusk, "yet her standing with us is in a precarious position."

"Only her many years of dedicated service has spared her a worse fate," said Chairman Taupe, "this Council has no tolerance for failure."

"Then…then she is…" said Irvin.

"Reassigned," finished Chairman Onyx, "she will finish the tasks originally given to Cuthbert; corrupt the realm of Ever After, slay Apple White, present Raven Queen and The Storybook of Legends before us."

"But if Raven Queen and Apple White are now involved in Irvin's mission," said Chairwoman Sable, "then perhaps Irvin may share in Ophelia's burden."

"Yes, My Council!" exclaimed Irvin, "allow me the honor of avenging Cuthbert, Manfred and the others! I will bring you Raven Queen and the heart of Apple White, both on silver platters!"

"Just them will do, no ceremony needed," said Chairman Dusk.

"But do not neglect your original mission, Irvin," said Chairwoman Umbra, "it is imperative that we have all nine pieces of The Star of Rosskarn! It is essential to our plans to initiate Kralizec in our favor."

"I know, my Council," said Irvin, "already we have a plan to find the two pieces at Monster High."

"There's another piece at Monster High?" asked Draculaura.

"Of course there is," said a wickedly smiling Irvin, "there's been one there since the school was originally built. Have you forgotten so quickly? Did you not sense it while we were at Monster High? No, of course you didn't. You've been too busy planning to make your former friends into your slaves that you neglected in the training of your new powers."

"I've been training plenty!" snapped Draculaura.

"Then you should have sensed it when we were there," said Irvin, "Valentine, I do believe you have a lot of work ahead of you."

"Indeed," said Chairman Dusk, "Valentine, we originally recruited you to bring Draculaura to us and to instruct her in the ways of the dark arts."

"As well as hone her ability to sense the locations of the Star pieces," said Chairman Taupe, "you've been falling behind on that part."

"Oh please, I don't need more training," said Draculaura boastfully, "just wait until I get back inside Monster High. I'll find that other Star piece and I'll find the necklace as well."

"Then a little additional training wouldn't hurt, would it," said Irvin.

"Best not to take chances, dearest," said Valentine, "besides, I have a few ideas on how to get back inside Monster High, and enthrall the entire student disembody in one go."

"Oh, do tell, darling," said Draculaura as the vile couple exited the room, "do tell."

"Keep a close eye on those two, Irvin," said Chairwoman Umbra, "they may be loyal for now."

"But one can never be sure when the likes of Valentine would stab you in the back," said Chairwoman Sable, "we've lost too many proxies as it is."

"I know, my Council," said Irvin, "I won't underestimate them."

"And do not underestimate the likes of Raven Queen or Apple White," said Chairman Dusk, "and do not underestimate any of the Riders, it could cost you more than your life."

"And most of all," said Chairman Onyx, "do not fail us. You know the penalty for failure."

"I know," said Irvin, "and I live to serve."

"See that you do," said Chairwoman Noir. With that the hologram ended, leaving Irvin to himself to plan his vile plans.

 ** _…The End Is Just The Beginning…_**


	8. Chapter 7: Catching Breath

**Chapter 7: Catching Breath**

 _…Monster High…Infirmary room 4…two hours later…_

"Are you sure you're alright, Avery?" asked a worried Apple as she watched Avery, Tobias and Dexter get up from the cots the three Riders had been resting on, while Cupid and Raven looked equally worried.

"I'm perfectly fine," said Avery, "aside from feeling exceptionally hungry."

"Dude, you shouldn't be eating so soon after you tossed your cookies," said Deuce as he and Cleo stood nearby. Also in the infirmary, being looked over by the school's volunteer nursing staff was Twyla, Howleen, Iris and Manny, the latter two being fussed over the most, while Howleen was on the verge of pushing away Clawdeen and Clawd, whom absolutely refused to leave their little sister's side since the battle ended.

"You were pretty sick for a while," said Raven, "you, Dexter and Tobias."

"Well, I feel much better now," said Dexter, "whatever made us sick must be over."

"I honestly can't, for the life of me, explain what came over us," said Tobias.

"I can't explain either," said Apple, "and I won't feel at ease until we get some answers."

"None of the school doctors and nurses could figure it out," said Avery.

"Give them a chance," said Apple, "medicine doesn't always work at the drop of a hat."

It was then that Ghoulia, whom was sitting nearby, working her laptop, moaned something.

"You're right," said Frankie, "whatever caused you guys to be sick, you all showed symptoms of decompression sickness."

"Headaches, loss of equilibrium, nausea and joint pains, how awful," said Cleo, "but what could possibly cause you three to experience such horrific ailments?"

"Betcha Ghoulia knows," said Lagoona.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Yes, I know it's only a theory," said Lagoona, "but even a theory is something to go on."

At that Ghoulia moaned in acknowledgement and pointed at her computer screen, which displayed the theory she was working on.

"'Acclimatizing Rider Powers to Dimensional Pressures and Hypertime?'" asked Dexter after he and the others read the screenshot.

"Are you saying we got sick because we got some weird case of The Bends?" asked Avery, at which Ghoulia moaned and nodded in affirmation.

"That doesn't make any sense," said Tobias.

"Well, it's just a theory," said Frankie, "but if what Ghoulia's working on is right, then your Rider powers, which you've been using exclusively in the realm of Ever After, isn't used to being used in this dimension, or something like that."

"In other words, you need to acclimatize to being Riders in this world," said Robecca, "and that acceleration move you did only made things worse."

"That still doesn't make any sense," said Tobias, "are you saying that transforming and Clocking Up made us ill? How is that even possible?"

"We're dealing with powers granted to you by beings beyond human understanding," said Raven.

"Or just another whim by a certain someone," said an annoyed Maddie, "just another unnecessary plot twist to fill up the story. Mr. AndrewK9000, I'm talking about you, you know?"

 _With all due respect, Maddie, can't you go one chapter without pestering my creativity?_

"Oh, don't get me wrong," said Maddie, "I like a lot of what you've done with the story so far, and I really liked what you did with 'Apple White and the Seven Riders,' not to mention your other stories. Though, while I've got your attention, I've got some serious questions about your earlier work."

 _I don't want to talk about it._

"Oh come on, why not?" asked Maddie, "at least tell me why you didn't edit your first stories."

 _I was young and inexperienced! There's a lot about my early stories that I'm not proud of. If I could I'd go back and redo everything I did in those years. Now is there anything else?_

"As a matter of fact, yes," said Maddie, "what's the point of giving Avery, Tobias and Dexter so much trouble when they transformed?"

 _I can't tell you that, it would spoil things._

"At least tell me if it'll play an important part later," pleaded Maddie, "something really important?"

 _I can't, no, I will_ _ **not**_ _spoil things, now please let me get back to the story._

"Oh, please?" begged Maddie, "pretty please with sugar lumps on top?"

 _I…well…I…NO…NO! Must…resist…sugar lumps!_

 _Ah…there…problem solved. Sorry, Maddie, you'll just have to wait just like everyone else._

"Awww…do I have to?" asked Maddie.

"Okay, that's it," said Cleo, "I'm officially declaring her insane."

"Who made you a psychiatrist?" asked Raven irately, "Maddie's just that, mad, but in a good way."

"She keeps talking to her imaginary friend," said Toralei, "I'd say she's certifiable."

"I honestly can care less what you think of Maddie, what about us?" asked Dexter.

"It'd be rather unfortunate if the three of us found ourselves unable to transform in the middle of a Kaijin attack," said Tobias, while Avery nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's think about it logically," said Apple, "Avery, Dexter and Tobias all suffered symptoms similar to decompression sickness. They became sick after they transformed and Clocked Up, but they recovered rapidly afterwards. What we need to know is why they became sick, and will they get sick again."

"For all we know, they'll never be able to transform again," said Toralei.

"What?!" exclaimed Dexter, "no more 'Henshin!?'"

"She didn't mean it!" said Raven in a reassuring manner. She then glared at Toralei, "right?"

"Just ignore her," said Clawdeen, "she's always trolling for trouble."

"Where we're from," said Raven, "'trolling for trouble' has more than one meaning."

Just then an irate Jessie burst into the room, "unbelievable! Freaking unbelievable!"

"What's freaking unbelievable?" asked Frankie.

"Santa Clause is coming to town," teased Toralei.

"That's not funny," said Jessie as she placed her hands on her hips, "I'm not in the mood!"

"What's got your hair all snarled?" asked Cupid.

"He has no right," said Jessie as she paced back and forth, " _they_ have no right! Not after all the hard work we've done!"

"Would you mind filling us in, love?" asked Lagoona.

"How dare _they_!" exclaimed Jessie, "what gives _them_ the right to say what we can and can't do!?"

"Who and what are you talking about, ghoulfriend?" asked Clawdeen.

"The Alabaster Council, that's what," said Lance as he walked in, looking just as angry as Jessie, "they and Wilhelm Chase."

"Who?" asked Frankie, "oh, your contact with The Alabaster Council."

"The same," said Lance, "and right now I'd punch them all in the nose if I could!"

"What'd they ever do to you?" asked Frankie.

"And please, be as vague as you like," said Toralei.

"We've been sacked, that's what!" exclaimed Ian as he walked in, followed shortly by Chad and a man in his mid to late 40's. He had graying brown hair and wore glasses, wearing average clothing of an average man. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about him. He seemed like a man who could be found on any street in any town in any country on any world.

"You have not been sacked, my friend," said the man.

"Then why'd you say that Chad was the rightful Faiz and we aren't!?" exclaimed Lance.

"Whoa! Hold it!" said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked with annoyance, "can someone please explain what is going on here!?"

"I can explain, young lady," said the man.

"Oh sure, you've done a great job with us," said an irate Jessie.

"I want to hear what he has to say," said Avery.

"Thank you, young Rider," said the man, "I am Wilhelm Chase. I was hired by The Alabaster Council as their liaison, to influence brave and virtuous souls in the name of goodness and righteousness across time and space."

"And to raise up the hopes and dreams of gullible kids," said Lance, "only to shatter those dreams."

"Why is he shattering your dreams?" asked Lagoona.

"He said we can't be Faiz anymore!" said Lance, "that we weren't meant to be Faiz."

"But _he_ is!" said Ian as he glared at Chad, whom all this time looked like he had no idea what was going on.

"Will you three please let me explain and not jump to illogical conclusions?" asked Wilhelm Chase, "you're overreacting to something you don't know all the facts about."

"The fact is that you're sacking us!" said Ian.

"For him!" exclaimed Jessie as she pointed at Chad.

"Why are you hating on Chad so much?" asked Frankie, "you didn't feel this way when Clair became the new Kiva."

"Siegfried chose Clair as his successor," said Ian, "we didn't have a choice."

"Okay, that does it," said Raven as she stood up. With a wave of her hands and a flash of purple light, Ian, Lance and Jessie found themselves unable to speak. Try as they might, no words came from their lips, only silent mouthing.

"That's better," said Raven. She then looked at Wilhelm Chase, "you were saying?"

"Thank you," said Wilhelm Chase, "as I was trying to explain to young Ian, Lance and Jessie before they so rudely jumped to conclusions, is that while they have done a lot of good as Faiz, they cannot utilize the full power of Faiz. They have been substituting for the rightful Faiz until he was ready to take up the mantle."

"And Chad is the right one for that mantle?" asked Avery.

"He is indeed," said Wilhelm, "and as I was trying to explain to Ian and his friends, while they are no longer needed as Faiz, they can still use the Faiz Gear in the event Chad is unable to do so, while the opportunity to become other Riders may present itself in the future. They have not been sacked and are more than welcome to keep fighting the good fight."

"Is this true?" asked Clawdeen as she looked at Ian, Lance and Jessie, whom looked as if they had been given a valuable lesson in humility, yet were unable to respond.

"Oh, sorry," said Raven. She then waved her hands and with another flash of magic, restored their voices, "you okay now?"

"I feel like I've been forced to eat a murder of crows," said an ashamed Lance.

"I just feel sorry for myself," said Jessie, "all I head from Wilhelm before was that we couldn't be Faiz anymore. I guess we overreacted."

"And how," said Ian. He then looked at Wilhelm Chase, "I'm sorry, we shouldn't have acted that way."

"Quite understandable," said Wilhelm.

"But I still don't understand why," said Lance, "why is Chad the right one and we're not?"

"That's what I want to know," said Chad, "I know Alabaster chose me and I was able to use the Faiz Gear, but why? Why me? What makes me the chosen one?"

"Because you are," said Wilhelm Chase, "you see yourself as just as average boy thrown into an extraordinary situation, but you're more than average. Your own blood makes you the right one to be Faiz."

At that Ghoulia moaned excitedly in a manner similar to one exclaiming 'Eureka!' She then hurried over to one of the tables in the makeshift infirmary and pulled out a blood sample kit, then hurried over to Chad and rolled up his left sleeve.

"What are you doing?" asked Chad as Ghoulia swabbed his elbow crook with alcohol, "why are you taking some of my blood?"

"To test your blood, obviously," said Cleo, "Ghoulia never does anything without a purpose."

"But why does she want to test my blood?" asked Chad as Ghoulia tied a tourniquet on his arm, waited for a vein to distend, then inserted a needle and collected the blood sample.

"To see whatever's in your blood that makes you the right one to be Faiz," said an intrigued Ian. He then walked over to the table and picked up three more blood sample kits, "if you don't mind, Ghoulia?"

At that Ghoulia happily moaned in a manner resembling 'not at all.' After putting a bandage on Chad's arm, she then walked over to Ian and prepared to take a blood sample from him.

"She's in her zone now," sighed Cleo.

"Okay, so we've resolved that crisis," said Dexter, "but what about us?"

"If you are from Alabaster," said Tobias to Wilhelm Chase, "then would you mind explaining why we became ill after transforming?"

"You became ill?" asked Wilhelm Chase, "this is news to me. Have you checked with your Alabaster liaison?"

"You mean a proxy?" asked Avery, "we never had one."

"What?" asked Wilhelm Chase, "you mean that you've been fighting Obsidian all this time without a direct liaison with Alabaster?"

"Well…yeah," said Avery, to which Tobias nodded in agreement, "is there a problem with that!"

"Darn right there's a problem," said Wilhelm Chase irately, "how could you have survived as long as you have without guidance from an Alabaster liaison?"

"Skill, luck and a lot of friends to help," said Dexter.

"Well, that won't due," said Wilhelm Chase, "that won't due at all. There's no way The Council would let you younglings run around unsupervised."

"Since when have we needed supervision?" asked an irate Avery.

"We took down Cuthbert, Ophelia, Manfred, all those Foundation X scientists and who knows how many Worms without any extra help from Alabaster or anyone," said Tobias.

"Ahem!" said Cupid irately.

"Oh, and we had our friends and loved ones too," said Tobias.

"That's no excuse," said Wilhelm Chase, "you should have had your own liaison with Alabaster. What if you needed guidance or assistance in a dire situation? Or required advice directly from The Council?"

"We did pretty well without a proxy," said Dexter, "and the only contact we had with Alabaster is when they sent us those visions inviting us to become Riders."

"Well, that won't do," said Wilhelm Chase, "That won't do at all. This situation must be rectified immediately!" with that he turned around and opened a portal, "I'll be back." He then stepped through the portal, which closed up after him.

"Uh…what just happened?" asked Dexter.

"Either we've been given the cold shoulder," said Avery, "or we're going to have our own Alabaster proxy."

"Well, that's good, right?" asked Cupid, "I mean, the more, the merrier, right?"

"We've done alright so far without a proxy," said Tobias, "the last thing we need is someone looking over our shoulder, criticizing our every move."

"Wilhelm doesn't criticize our ever move," said Jessie, "at least he didn't."

"I've got a few criticizing words about his latest move," muttered Lance as he gave Chad an aggravated glare.

"I'm not entirely happy with this either, you know," said Chad, "I only put on the belt because I thought it was the right thing to do, not because some otherworldly weirdos told me I had some weird destiny or something…I don't know," he sat down and shook his head, "I barely remember what they said to me."

"You're not alone," said Dexter, "all I remember of The Alabaster Council is talking with them in some crazy library."

It was then that another portal opened up.

"He's back already?" asked Ian.

But instead of Wilhelm Chase, a woman in her early 30's stepped through. She had long, honey-blond hair and gray eyes, wearing a University of Maryland sweater and blue jeans with high-heeled sandals.

"Sasha!" exclaimed Frankie.

"I just heard about Siegfried," said the woman, "did he…did he perform the power transfer ritual?"

"He sure did," said Clawdeen, "but something must have gone wrong, Clair can't transform into Kiva."

"Who's this now?" asked Raven.

"Sasha Getty," said Frankie, "the other Alabaster proxy."

"Oh yeah," said Raven.

"As much as I'd like to get to know you new kids," said Sasha Getty, "I've work to do. I need to see the new Kiva."

"I'll go get Clair," said Chad as he hurried out of the room, only to run back in, "I found her!"

In walked a somewhat miserable-looking Clair, "someone wants to see me?"

"Indeed I do," said Sasha Getty as she walked up to Clair, smiling warmly, "I can't tell you how sorry I am that you've been put in this unfortunate position with no instructions on what to do next. If I had known that Siegfried was ill, I would have intervened, yet circumstances prevented me from coming until now."

"That's what she said," teased Heath, whom happened to be standing nearby, while earning a laugh from Abby and a few annoyed glares from Frankie and the others.

Sasha Getty ignored the quip and bade Clair to sit down. She did so and looked at Sasha with pleading eyes, "please, tell me what I have to do."

"First of all, where's Kivat?" asked Sasha, "I've got a few words with that idiot."

"Who are you calling an idiot?" asked Kivat as he flew into the room.

"I'm calling you an idiot!" snapped Sasha as she glared at the golden bat, "why didn't you call and tell me that Siegfried was dying? I could have helped!"

"I did call you but your cell went straight to voicemail!" said Kivat.

"I dropped my phone and it broke!" said Sasha, "but you know I have a second cell as a backup! You knew it and so did Siegfried!"

"We forgot your second cell's number," said Kivat, "and I did email you!"

"My email provider's server was down," said Sasha, "look, these excuses aren't getting us anywhere. Just tell me if Siegfried had any last words for me."

"Just that you look after his family and help Clair," said Kivat, "that's all."

"That's all?" asked Sasha. She then sighed, "well, I guess that is all. Siegfried wasn't that much of a talker." She then looked at Clair and smiled, "but that was then and this is now. First, I need you to hold still." She then closed her eyes and placed both hands on either side of Clair's face, startling her slightly, but then Clair relaxed and closed her eyes as well.

"What's she doing to her?" asked Chad.

"Reading her mind, duh!" said Maddie as she poured some tea.

It was then that Jackson walked into the room and saw Clair and Sasha, "what's going on here?! Who is that woman?! What's she doing to Clair?!"

"Trying to help her, I think," said Frankie.

At that both Sasha and Clair opened their eyes, "well now," said Sasha as she lowered her hands and sat back, "I get it now why Siegfried picked you; you've definitely got the right stuff to be a Rider."

"Then how come I couldn't transform?" asked Clair, "I should have but all that happened was my getting hurt," she then held up her left hand, which was marred by two bruised and scabbed marks where Kivat bit her, "and I got this for my troubles."

"That's just your first Kivat bite," said the golden bat as he flew around Clair's hand, "it's already healing. The next one will heal even faster, same for the one after that. Before long there won't be any marks at all."

"Will that matter if I can't transform?" asked Clair, "because why try if I can't do it?"

"You can because you will," said Sasha, "I don't know what's keeping you from transforming, but with my help, you will."

"I certainly hope so," said Ian, "because if the next battle is as intense as the last one, then we'll need every Rider we have."

"Which leaves us out," sighed Lance.

"I don't think so," said Jessie with firm determination, "we may not be front runner Riders anymore, but we're still Riders. We can still fight," she then looked at Chad, "and help this one get into shape."

"You're right," said Lance as he looked at Chad, whom looked as if he was about to be put through something awful, "we can get him into shape."

"Now, hold on a second," said Chad, "I did alright for my first time as a Rider. I took out that Orphnoch without breaking a sweat."

"But you're still a rookie," said Ian, "and we've got months of experience to share with you."

"And Wilhelm's off doing who know what," said Jessie, "so it's up to us to show you just what it means to be a Rider."

"Just as I have much to teach you, Clair," said Sasha, she then held out her hand, "if you'll accept my help, that is."

"I…" said a hesitant Clair as she looked at the outstretched hand. She then took a bracing breath and shook Sasha's hand, "I'll try to be a good student."

"When we're done," said a confidently smiling Sasha, "you'll be a Kiva to rival and even surpass that of Kurenai Wataru."

"That's a bold statement," said Tobias.

Just then Ghoulia's phone beeped. She looked at the message and moaned excitedly.

"Now what?" asked Raven.

Ghoulia then packed up her laptop and hurried out of the room.

"Again, now what?" asked Raven.

"We follow her, of course," said Cleo.

"As if we've got anything else to do," muttered Toralei as she, Cleo, Frankie, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Robecca, Raven, Apple, Cupid, Maddie, Avery, Dexter and Tobias, hurried after Ghoulia into the school hallways and down into the catacombs.

"What do you think is bothering her?" asked Frankie.

"If I were a gambling robot," said Robecca, "I'd say she's leading us back to my father's Workshop. As to why, I don't know."

Yet halfway to Hexiciah Steam's Workshop they were delayed in the form of a certain Rockabilly phantom.

"Hey, mind of some of ya'll help me out here?" asked Operetta as she met with Frankie and the others in an intersection of corridors, "the headmistress asked me to check the school foundations for damage."

"It wasn't that big a battle," said Dexter.

"Not that big?" asked Operetta, "look down, four-eyes!"

"Don't make fun of his eyes!" snapped Raven.

"She does have a point," said Dexter as he knelt down and examined several long, hairline cracks in the floor.

"There's cracks all over!" said Lagoona as she pointed to more hairline fractures in the walls and ceiling.

"That energy blast the enemy used to break into the Creepateria," said Frankie, "it must have shaken the whole school from top to bottom."

"How much damage are we talking about?" asked Avery.

"Well, these beauties aren't that bad," said Operetta as she indicated the cracks, "a little cement here and there will do the trick. But there's more than a couple bigger ones that'll need a lot more work."

"Define bigger," said Clawdeen.

"There's one that's almost big enough to put my fist through," said Operetta.

"That's a big crack," said an impressed Clawdeen.

"Ain't that the truth," said Operetta, "and I've only just gotten started checking the catacombs. I've already got Rochelle and Venus helping, but ya'll know how big the catacombs are, right?"

"Bigger than Cleo's ego," said Clawdeen.

"It is not!" said Cleo boldly, "nothing is bigger than my ego!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Toralei, "can we get going? Ghoulia's probably at the workshop by now and I want to know what's tickling her brain."

"Oh, she is gone," said Frankie as she and the others realized that Ghoulia had gone on ahead of them.

"Whatever Ghoulia's worried about," said Robecca, "it can wait. This is serious."

"If there's a crack big enough to put your hand through," said Tobias, "then the whole school is in danger. The foundations could be eroding as we speak."

"Oh, that crack wasn't in anything that could bring the whole school down," said Operetta, "it's more like in the walls a few levels down. It'll get fixed up as soon as we finish checking the rest of the catacombs. But like I said, I could use some more help."

"Good luck with that," said Toralei.

"Why, Ms. Stripe," said a cheerfully smiling Operetta, "thank you so very much for volunteering to help."

"What?!" exclaimed Toralei, "I did no such thing! I never volunteer for anything, especially to help!"

"Oh, but you will help," said Operetta as she smiled deviously, "unless you want me to show everyone your audition tape for Starlight Express."

At that Toralei hissed wrathfully and got right up in Operetta's face, her claws bared and ready for the kill, "You Wouldn't Dare!"

"We're still going ahead with the play?" asked Frankie, "after all that's happened?"

"Well, you kept working on that jalopy of a lemon all this time," said Operetta, "you had your project, I've still got mine."

"OH MY GHOUL!" exclaimed Frankie, "Hector! I completely forgot about him! I gotta get up to the parking lot!"

"Frankie! No!" shouted Lagoona as she and Clawdeen restrained their friend, "your car's fine."

"How do you know, Lagoona!?" asked a frantic Frankie, "for all you know, Hector's been reduced to scrap!"

"Probably be an improvement," said Toralei.

"Frankie, if it'll make you feel better," said Clawdeen, "I'll go up and check on your car. I was gonna go back up and get some help for Operetta."

"I'll go too," said Lagoona, "we can both check on Hector."

"Yeah, two pairs of eyes," said Clawdeen, "twice the reassurance."

"Yeah…that…that's great," said Frankie as she calmed down, "that's great, thanks, ghoulfriends."

"Any time," said Lagoona. As she and Clawdeen started back up, but then stopped as they realized that Toralei was following them, "where do you think you're going?"

"With you of course," said Toralei, "another pair of eyes on Frankie's car couldn't hurt."

"You stay down here and help Operetta!" said Clawdeen menacingly, "or I'll get her to show your audition tape to the whole school! In fact, I'll ask Ghoulia to help me post it online!"

"You…you…!" hissed Toralei, but then she sighed with reluctant defeat, "alright, I'll do it," she then glared at Operetta, "but you're erasing that tape as soon as we're done! Got it?!"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of embarrassing you," said Operetta.

"Good," said Toralei, whom then slinked off into a different corridor.

"Where are you going?" asked Frankie.

"Hey, I said I'd help," said Toralei, "but I'm doing it my way."

"Just let her go," said Operetta as everyone watch Toralei walk off, "that's probably the most we'll get out of here now."

"As if she'd do anything nice willingly," said Cleo, "but what could possibly be on that audition tape to upset her so? I hope it's something awful."

"She didn't fail the audition, did she?" asked Apple.

"Oh, she got the part, alright," said Operetta, "Toralei's gonna be C.B., the Red Caboose. She really can sing, that calico cat, once she cleared some hairballs from her throat. But it's what I got on tape after the audition, that's what she's so embarrassed about."

"Oh, do tell, Operetta," said Cleo eagerly, "do tell."

"Ya'll know me," said Operetta, "I hate secrets that I'm not in on, and I'm in on this one and I'm sitting on it, for now. Now, if ya'll excuse me, those cracks won't find themselves."

"We'll be back with help soon," said Lagoona, while Clawdeen nodded in agreement.

"And you'll call me as soon as you know Hector's alright?" asked Frankie.

"We will," said Clawdeen as she and Lagoona headed back up.

"The second you know!" said Frankie.

"Yeah, we will!" called Lagoona.

"The very second!" called Frankie after them.

"Just let them go, Frankie," said Cupid, "they'll make sure your car is fine."

"I hope so," said Frankie.

With that they resumed their downward trek and soon returned to Hexiciah Steam's lab, where Ghoulia was eagerly working at the dimensional portal device.

"What is she up to now?" asked Cleo as they watched Ghoulia connect the device to her laptop and another device.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it," said Robecca. She then walked up to Ghoulia, "I know we agreed that you could help figure out all my father's inventions, but is this really the time?"

At that Ghoulia moaned something as she continued to work.

"What do you mean, 'it is?'" asked Cleo, "you're not making any sense."

"Are you trying to open the portal to Ever After?" asked Raven, "I thought we had to wait three days or so, it's only been a few hours."

"Seems like forever," said Dexter.

But then Ghoulia finished her work and pressed ENTER on her laptop. The dimensional portal device powered up, while the second device also activated. With a clattering of gears and whine of energy, a set of crystals rose up on brass arms from the machine and began spinning. Another set of brass arms raised up several focusing mirrors that shone beams of light through the crystals, producing a hazy image in the air above our heroes.

"What is that?" asked Cleo.

From the projection came a familiar voice, familiar to Avery, Tobias, Dexter, Cupid, Apple, Maddie and Raven that is.

"Hello? Hello, hello? Are you reading me?"

"Dorothea?" asked Avery, "is that you?"

"Oh, it's a communication machine," said an impressed Frankie as Ghoulia made adjustments to the projection machine, then to the portal device, "at least I think it is."

"Here, let me help," said Rochelle as she walked up to the projection machine and assisted Ghoulia in her adjustments. Within seconds the image had cleared enough for our heroes to see Dorothea sitting at her computer in The Base.

"Avery? Apple? Raven?" asked a slightly distorted Dorothea, "can you see and hear me?"

"Like a bad TV reception," said Avery, "but yeah, we can."

"Then it worked!" said Dorothea eagerly. She then looked to her left, "Hey! Everyone! It worked!"

At that Hunter, Ashlynn and Cerise could be seen next to Dorothea.

"Apple! Raven! Maddie!" shouted Ashlynn, "can you see us!? I can barely see you!"

"We're here, Ashlynn!" said Apple.

"My gosh!" said Cerise, "Cupid…is that…is that…"

"What happened to your wings?" asked a startled and confused Hunter.

"My wings?" asked Cupid, "oh…oh! You guys haven't seen me in my native dimension before. This is how I look like on this world."

"I was confused at first too," said Tobias, "but she's still the Cupid we know and love."

"What about my brother?" asked Dexter, "where's Daring?"

"He's up top keeping an eye on things," said Hunter, "no pun intended."

"There haven't been any Worm attacks since you guys left," said Dorothea, "but we're still keeping watch for any trouble from Obsidian."

"Well, we've been getting plenty of trouble from them here," said Raven, "have we got a story for you all."

"But in the meantime, meet the Ghoulfriends," said Cupid, "you've already met Frankie."

"Hi!" said a warmly smiling Frankie as she waved at the image from Ever After.

"And this is Cleo, Rochelle and Ghoulia," said Cupid, "I'll introduce you to Lagoona, Clawdeen and the others later. But for now…"

Just then Briar shoved her way into the image, "Apple! You'll never guess what!"

"What is it, Briar?" asked Apple, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, silly," said an eagerly smiling Briar, "it's actually wonderful!"

"The mock turtle is releasing a new single!?" exclaimed Maddie.

"Uh…no," said a slightly confused Briar, "but it's still great news and you'll never guess what it is. Go on, guess."

"Umm, you've found your prince after all?" asked Apple.

"Nope," said Briar, "better than finding my soul mate a hundred years early."

"You've found a new extreme sport that'll most likely kill you?" asked Raven.

"Nope," said Briar, "not even close, but it is extreme and it may end up killing me."

"You're joining the special forces," said Dexter.

"Close," said Briar, "It is kinda a special force, but it's no military force."

"Oh for crying out loud!" exclaimed Kitty as she shoved her way into the image, "she's the new TheBee."

"WHAT!?" exclaimed a dumbfounded Apple, Raven, Cupid, Avery, Dexter and Tobias, while Maddie nonchalantly poured her tea.

"Oh, darn it, Kitty," said an annoyed Briar, "you ruined it!"

"I couldn't help it, I'm bored!" whined Kitty, "everyone else is keeping watch for Obsidian and I'm stuck underground?" she then flashed out and reappeared behind Briar, "I need to charge my mischief batteries!"

"Remind me to introduce you to Toralei at some point," said Cupid.

"Don't! We'll never survive!" pleaded Dexter.

"Well, anyway," said Briar, "it's true! I'm a Rider now!" as if in answer, the metal wasp that was TheBee Zecter hovered around Briar. Yet the metal wasp, formerly yellow and black, was now yellow, black and rose-pink.

"It adapted to her just as Drake Zecter adapted to me," said Hunter, while said metal dragonfly hovered around him.

"But how'd you get chosen to be a Rider?" asked Avery.

"And why?" asked Raven, "not that I'm not happy for you, Briar, but why did Alabaster choose you?"

"They said I had the right stuff," said Briar, "at least I think they did. I barely remember meeting with them."

"These Alabaster people," said slightly exasperated Cleo, "They'll let anyone be a Rider."

"Anyone with the right stuff and the guts to fight the good fight," said Briar.

"Are you sure about that, Briar?" asked Apple, "not that I'm doubting your courage and conviction, but…"

"But am I sure I'm doing the right thing?" Briar finished, "yes, without a doubt. This is what I'm meant to do, Apple, what I'm meant to be. I just didn't know about it until it actually happened."

"Have you transformed yet?" asked Tobias.

"Yes, and it was incredible!" said Briar.

"She took to it like a pro," said Dorothea, "better than Clare was. Not only can she fight better than Clare, and believe me, we've sparred with Briar to know, she was able to beat Hunter while Clocking Up."

"I've got the wounds to prove it," said Hunter as he pushed up his sleeves, revealing several scrapes and bruises on his arms.

"Well, that's great," said Apple, "but please, Briar, be careful. I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."

"I'll be fine," said Briar, "but what about you all? What's happening on Cupid's world?"

"I hope you've been to the market for snacks," said Raven, "'cause we've got a story for you."

* * *

 _…The Enemy Lair…_

"Okay, then," said Irvin as he, Valentine, Draculaura and six black-robed Shadow Acolytes, sat at a conference table in one of the rooms of the ruined castle, "you all know why we're here, so let's get down to business."

"Uh…I don't know why we're here, Mr. Weis," said one of the Shadow Acolytes sheepishly.

"None of us know, Mr. Weis," said another Shadow Acolyte, "you never told us what the meeting was about, only that we had to be here."

"You didn't tell us either," said Valentine, while Draculaura nodded in agreement.

At that Irvin sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking up remorsefully at the ceiling, "I am surrounded by idiots," he sighed.

He then sat up straight with a serious look, "very well, then, I'll tell you why we're all here," he then glared at the six Shadow Acolytes, "and take those damn robes off, it's like I'm talking to clones."

"So be it, Mr. Weis," said one of the black-robed dark magic users. With six flashes of magic, the robes were gone and replaced with ordinary clothing worn by three men and three women, with each of them wearing a nametag:

Xander

Isidore

Fabian

Palomor

Edouard

Hortensia

"Is this better, Mr. Weis?" asked the man whose nametag read 'Xander.'

"Or would you prefer neon signs in purple and pink?" asked the woman whose nametag read 'Palomor.' At that six pink and purple neon signs appeared above the dark magic users, brightly blinking their names, while earning laughter from the other Shadow Acolytes, Valentine and Draculaura.

"This is hardly the time for jocularity," said an annoyed Irvin, "that fiasco at Monster High put us on thin ice with The Obsidian Council, and believe me, my friends, the last thing any of us wants to be on thin ice with Obsidian."

"We wouldn't have been on thin ice if you hadn't…" said Valentine.

"It doesn't matter what and what not happened at Monster High!" snapped Irvin, "the point is that we need to produce results or we'll be at the mercy of Obsidian, and believe me, my friends, you do not want to know how merciless Obsidian can be."

"Then let's talk turkey already," said the man whose nametag ready 'Edouard.'

"Well, does anyone have any ideas on how to take down Monster High?" asked the man whose nametag read 'Fabian.'

"Another frontal assault is out of the question," said the woman whose nametag read 'Isidore.' "Nor would another flanking attack."

"Why not?" asked Draculaura, "we got inside the school with that big gun made out of Fangire."

"Yeah, but next time they'll be ready for something like that," said Isidore, "no doubt Bloodgood is reinforcing Monster High with additional layers of Material Emancipation Grills."

"Not to mention additional traps and defensive weapons," said Xander.

"At least Bloodgood is unable to call for additional help from the authorities," said Fabian, "whatever Mr. Wise did to keep away the authorities, and the families of those teenage freaks, it really did the job."

"Just what did you do to all those people?" asked Valentine.

"That's my dirty little secret," said Irvin, "and while my secret whammy did its job, it can't help us get into the school."

"Can we tunnel into the school?" asked Isidore, "there's miles of those catacombs beneath Monster High. I say we dig into them and just march up into the school proper."

"No," said Valentine, "it won't work because there's miles of catacombs. We could get lost down there and never breathe fresh air again."

"I thought you vamps didn't need to breathe," teased the woman whose nametag read 'Hortensia.'

"Never mind that," said Irvin, "getting lost in the catacombs is an unacceptable risk."

"Not to mention the dragons and other creepy crawlies living in the catacombs," said Valentine.

"Oh, I forgot about the dragons and creepy crawlies," said Isidore, "Well, what about that pool they've got? They wouldn't expect an aquatic assault."

"NO! We can't try the pool!" exclaimed Draculaura, "to get in to the school through the pool means going through _THE DEEP END!_ "

"So what?" asked Isidore, "just outfit the attacking force with diving equipment, or better yet, send in aquatic Orphnochs and Fangire."

"No! You don't understand!" exclaimed Draculaura, "we just can't go through _THE DEEP END!"_

"If you're worried about that thieving kraken, don't," said Valentine, "I can handle that thing."

"No, Bloodgood would have anticipated an aquatic attack" said Irvin in a thoughtful manner, "she's probably mined the pool and rigged the underwater passages to collapse."

He then leaned back in his chair while summoning a chessboard onto the table. He turned it sideways and began playing both sides, "Bloodgood is no fool, while her students aren't morons."

"I can think of a few who are," said Draculaura.

"And what about those damn Riders?" asked Xander, "Faiz and those Zecter users?"

"And what about Kiva?" asked Fabian, "he's been absent from the field for some time now."

"That girl who was with Frankie Stein," said Valentine, "what's her name again?"

"Clair," said Draculaura, "she should be dead by now after my poisoned bite, while Siegfried should also be dead."

"And there's Raven Queen," said Irvin as he continued to play against himself, "she should have been presented to The Obsidian Council long ago. I should have known Cuthbert wasn't up to the task."

He then sighed and sat back again, his head raised to look up at the ceiling, "but to have taken out Manfred and disgrace Ophelia, then Raven and her allies must be formidable indeed." He then sat up again, "We must be cautious, my friends, for any misstep could result in our destructions, or worse."

"Indeed," said Xander, "I'd rather be shot out of a cannon than suffer the wrath of Obsidian."

At that Irvin blinked in surprise and looked at Xander, "what did you say?"

"I said I'd rather be shot out of a cannon," said Xander, "and not a circus cannon, a real one."

"A cannon," said Irvin thoughtfully as he made several moves on the chessboard, "yes, yes, that could work."

"What could work?" asked Valentine.

"A plan to render all the defenses of Monster High moot," said Irvin as he smiled wickedly while placing the white king in check, then moved a white piece, "a plan to place the student body of Monster High under our collective thumbs," he then made a final move that checkmated the white king, "and acquire the two Star pieces at Monster High. Oh, and take out those Riders as well."

"Tell us more, Mr. Weis," said an intrigued Hortensia, "tell us more."

* * *

Elsewhere in the castle found three gray-clad Orphnochs in their human forms, preparing another room for a meeting, yet this one was far, far different than the one involving Irvin and the others.

The three Orphnochs, two males and a female, whose names happened to be Allen, Brittney and Carl, nervously paced through the dimly-lit room for those whom would be coming.

"This was a bad idea," said Carl, "for all we know, there could be a dozen Orphnochs loyal to Irvin on their way to detain us as we speak."

"Or a dozen Fangire," said Brittney, "or a dozen Shadow Acolytes, or Irvin himself."

"Don't be foolish, both of you!" said Allen harshly, "we're having this get-together when Irvin's talking with the upper echelons of his dark magic users, as well as those lovey-dovey vampire freaks, so don't panic."

"Ever since we started on this path, I've been panicking on the inside!" said Carl, "admit it, man! We're as good as dead!"

"We've already died once," said Allen, "each of us, remember? Or have you forgotten how your old life ended and your new began?"

"Like I could forget how my human life ended," said Brittney.

Just then there were two knocks on the door, followed by three, then one more.

"Come on in, Donna," said Allen, while Brittney and Carl sighed with relief.

In came another gray-clad Orphnoch, a woman. With her were two outlandishly clad Fangire in their human forms, one male the other female.

"I wasn't followed," said Donna, "everyone else is licking their psychological wounds from the trouncing we took today."

"So many of our comrades destroyed," said the male Fangire, whose name was Eleuterio, "who would have thought that a school full of teenagers would put up such a fight?"

"A school full of teenaged Monsters," said the female Fangire, whose name was Constanza, "not to mention several teenage Riders."

"Which is exactly why I asked you all to come here," said Allen, "too many of our respective Kaijin tribes have been killed on Irvin's folly."

"I agree," said Eleuterio, "you Orphnoch seek to establish yourself as the next step in human evolution, while we Fangire seek sustenance in human life energy and set up our own kingdom."

"None of which will come to pass if Irvin keeps using us as fodder in his quest for The Star of Rosskarn," said Constanza, "which is why you Orphnoch are planning on running away."

"And we want you Fangire to run away with us," said Allen.

"This is pointless!" exclaimed Brittney, "we're going to get caught and punished!"

"Assuming they don't kill us outright," said Carl.

"We won't get caught if we play our cards right," said Constanza as she pulled out a deck of cards and began shuffling, "if we're careful enough, we can slip away and disappear before Irvin and the rest of his robbed rubes suspect a thing. It can be done."

"I sincerely hope so," said Carl, "or else we'll be begging Irvin to let us die in peace."

"Cut the pessimistic crap already," said Donna as she crossed her arms, "getting away will be the easy part. Staying alive and evading pursuit, that'll be the hard part."

"And knowing Irvin," said Eleuterio, "he'll hunt us down until he catches us or hell freezes over."

"With our plan, he'll be too busy going after the Star pieces," said Allen, "we'll cover our tracks so well, he'll never get close to catching us."

"And just what is your plan?" asked Eleuterio.

"Hold on a second!" said Carl. He then glared at the two Fangire, "how do we know you're on the up and up?"

"For all we know you're spies for Irvin," said Brittney, "sent to seek out and uncover dissidents in the ranks."

At that the two Fangire looked as if they had never been so insulted in their lives, "as if we'd do anything so despicable for that piece of crap," said Eleuterio.

"The majority of Fangire serving under him are unquestionably loyal," said Constanza, "but there's a few, Eleuterio and myself included, whom would love nothing more than to feed on his life force and leave his transparent body to rot."

"And we would if he were human," said Eleuterio, "but he's not as you know."

"We know," said Allen, "so, how many Fangire are we talking about?"

"How many Orphnoch?" asked Eleuterio, "and what is your plan?"

"The less who know the details the better," said Donna, "but as for numbers, I can confirm at least twenty Orphnoch whom wish to run."

"Not as many Fangire," said Constanza, "but they've all have had enough with Irvin and want to know when we're running."

"As soon as Irvin launches his next attack on Monster High," said Allen, "as for the signal to run, you'll know it when you see it."

"And hear it, as it'll turn out," said Donna, "just tell your fellow fugitives to be ready to run."

"We'll be ready," said Eleuterio. He then pulled out a flask and unscrewed it, "let's drink to our forthcoming freedom."

"I thought you only drank life energy," said Carl.

"We can eat and drink whatever we want," said Eleuterio, "I prefer good spirits for pleasure."

"Who doesn't?" asked Allen as he took the flash, "here's to freedom!" he then took a swing, then passed the flask among his fellow Kaijin.

* * *

 _…Monster High…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…_

As Raven, Apple, Frankie, Cupid and the others finished filling in Briar and the others back in Ever After on everything that's happened, their tale was abruptly interrupted by Lagoona as she burst into the lab.

"Oh my ghoul! You blokes have got to see this!" exclaimed Lagoona urgently.

"See what?" asked Frankie, "what's wrong? What happened to Hector?!"

"What? Oh, your car's fine, Frankie," said Lagoona, "not a scratch or dent on him."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Frankie sighed with relief.

"Never mind your Anubis-damned car, Frankie!" said Cleo. She then looked at Lagoona, "what is it?"

"No time to explain!" shouted Lagoona, "you've got to see it to believe it! Come on!" with that she ran up to Frankie, grabbed and pulled her out of the lab before anyone could say anything else.

"Well, that was unexpected," said Raven.

"I think we should go see what's up," said Avery.

"What makes you say that?" asked Apple.

"Call it a hunch," said Avery.

"Oh, it's more than a hunch," said Maddie, "it'll be important, and I don't even need to talk to Mr. AndrewK9000 to be sure."

"Go, it's alright," said Dorothea on the other end of the dimensional call, "we've got some things we need to take care of here."

"Like how we're gonna get the portal open again and come help you guys," said Briar.

"How are you going to do that?" asked Apple.

"It's a surprise," said Kitty drily.

"No it's not!" said Dorothea irately, "it's quite simple actually. You see, I'll need help from Ms. Steam and Ms. Yelps in order to…"

"It can wait, we need to go after Frankie," said Cupid, "sorry to cut you off, but we really need to go."

"But…" said Apple.

"Go already! We're already two days slow!" said Maddie as she held up her watch.

"I don't mean to sound pessimistic," said Cleo as they left the lab, leaving Robecca and Ghoulia to help Dorothea, "but do we know where Lagoona took Frankie?"

"Oh my ghoul, you're right," said Cupid, "they could be anywhere in the catacombs and we'd never find them!"

"Or they'll find us," said Maddie.

Just then Clawdeen ran up to our heroes, "there you ghouls are! Come on! You're not going to believe what we found!"

"What is it?" asked Raven, "What did you find?"

"You've got to see it to believe it!" said Clawdeen, "come on!" with that she led our heroes through the catacombs to a wide tunnel with a set of stairs going down. Waiting for them was Clawd, Howleen, Gill, Lagoona, Frankie, Rochelle, Venus, Abbey and Heath.

"What took you all so long?" asked Heath, "you've got to see this!"

"See what?" asked Cleo irately, "I've had just about enough of being lead around by the bandages here! I demand to know what all the fuss is about!"

"It's about this," said Frankie as she pointed down the tunnel. At first glance the stairs went on for several more yards before reaching a dead end. But at the bottom of the stairs was an opening in the tunnel wall.

"This looks recent," said Dexter as he, Avery, Tobias, Apple and Raven got closer to the opening, "did it happen because of the blast during the battle?"

"The blast weakened the rock," said Rochelle, "but it was Toralei who found it."

"Toralei?" asked Cupid, "no way. No freaking way."

"Well, actually, it was Hoodude," said Frankie.

"Hoodude?" asked Cupid, "Hoodude Voodoo? The doll you once made and accidentally brought to live to get everyone to think you had a boyfriend? Okay, now you're just pulling my wings!"

"Well, that's what happened," said Heath, "you don't believe me?"

"I certainly don't," said an annoyed Cupid, "this is pointless, I'm going upstairs to find Deuce."

"You'll find him on his way to the headmistress's office," said Lagoona, "we just had to tell Bloodgood what we found."

"Just what did you find?" asked Raven, "what's in there?"

"See for yourself," said Frankie as she held up a flashlight and used her own electricity to supercharge it. She walked into the opening and with the hyped up flashlight, illuminated a large chamber.

"Good Lord!" exclaimed Tobias as he, Avery, Dexter, Raven and Apple stepped through, followed by Cleo and Cupid.

"That's pretty much how we all felt when we first saw this room," said Venus.

"Okay, exactly what happened?" asked Cupid.

"It's like this," said Clawdeen, "Lagoona and I brought a lot of help down to check the foundations for damage. I didn't know it at the time but Hoodude came along as well."

"Somehow, Operetta, Toralei, Hoodude and Clawd," said Venus, "somehow they were down this tunnel together."

"They were documenting the cracks in the wall," said Lagoona, "when Toralei thought it would be funny to make Hoodude make Clawd slip and slam into the wall."

"I've got the bruises to prove it," said a moderately sore Clawd.

"He wound up going through the wall and into the chamber," said Howleen, "We all heard the ruckus and found…well…this!" she then indicated the room.

"But what is it?" asked Avery.

"What's more important is what's in the room," said Frankie, "oh, Operetta put something of Toralei's on Hoodude and dragged her back upstairs. She was furious that Toralei would do something that damaged the catacombs."

"I agree, they're in bad enough shape as it is," said Cupid, "but what did you find in here?"

"Can't you see it!?" asked Howleen, "oh, wait, you can't see it, yet. Frankie, turn the light off."

"You got it!" said Frankie as she flicked off the flashlight, plunging the chamber into darkness.

"Okay, this is just plains stupid!" said Cleo, "we don't have time to play around in the dark!"

"Just let your eyes adjust and wait," said Frankie, "trust me, you won't believe your eyes!"

"I think I see it already," said Dexter as the room began to brighten again, only this time by no flashlight or any other form of normal illumination.

Slowly but surely, the walls began glowing blue and green.

"What…what is this?" asked Dexter as he and the others from Ever After took in the almost ethereal illumination with awe.

"It's beautiful," said Apple.

"And amazing," said Raven, "light that glows in darkness. This is an incredible bit of magic we're dealing with."

"There's also that," said Heath as he pointed at the middle of the room, where, suspended about five feet off the ground, lay a golden broach set with a large diamond.

"Is that… could that be…?" asked Raven.

"The third Star piece? It's possible," said Clawdeen.

"I should say it's possible," said Cleo as she walked up to the broach, "just look at that rock!" she reached for the broach, but was shocked when her hand passed through the item.

"Don't bother, we all try to get broach," said Abbey, "is illusion."

"No! Nothing that fabulous can possibly be an illusion!" said Cleo defiantly, "I will hold it in my hands! By the pyramids and Sphinx, I will hold it!" she kept grasping at the broach, but to no avail.

"I don't get it," said Cupid, "what is all of this?"

"We were hoping you'd might have an idea," said Lagoona, "you spent all that time in that world full of magic."

"And you're a demigoddess no less," said Howleen.

"I don't think any of the Olympian gods could have thought of this," said Cupid as she looked at the broach.

"This wasn't done by any god," said Raven as she walked around the room, "this was done by man. The walls, the glowing parts, they're all symbols of some kind."

The others looked at the walls and saw that the parts that were glowing were indeed markings made artificially.

"But what does it all mean?" asked Apple, "is that the third Star piece or not? And if it is, why can't we touch it?"

"I'm going to walk out on a limb," said Avery, "and say that it is the third Star piece. It's been here at Monster High all this time."

"But why didn't Draculaura sense it?" asked Clawdeen.

"The same reason we can't touch it," said Raven, "it's not actually here. Somehow, someone, a long time ago, used a very powerful piece of magic to put that broach out of phase with reality. We can see it, and the symbols, but only when no other light is present in the room."

"Well, that leaves Heath out," said Lagoona, "sorry, mate, but you've got to get out."

"Huh? Why?" asked Heath irately, "why do I have to leave?!" he then flared up, the light of his fire blazing through the room and causing the symbols and broach to vanish.

"That's why," said an annoyed Clawdeen, while Frankie and the others looked at Heath with annoyed eyes.

"Uh…sorry," said Heath sheepishly as his fire vanished, plunging the room back into darkness.

"You will be, _mon ami_ ," said Rochelle. She then grabbed Heath and tossed him out of the room. He landed in the tunnel with a painful yelp.

"That's that," said Clawdeen as the symbols appeared again, "so what are we going to do about that broach?"

"Find a way to get it, of course," said Avery as he looked closer at the symbols, "I'm going out on another limb and say that these markings, they're the language of Rosskarn. And I'll go out on another limb; I'll bet that if we can translate the symbols, we'll know how to get the broach."

"You're walking on some pretty shaky limbs today," said Apple.

"My grandmother taught me how to climb trees when I was little," said Avery, "and as she once told me," he then pointed at the symbols, "'no matter how far out on a limb you go, always keep your footing sure and your grip firm, otherwise you'll wind up back where you started.'"

"On the ground?" asked Frankie.

"In the hospital," said Avery.

"Your grandmother was a strange person," said Raven.

"That she was," said Avery.

 _ **…The End Is Just The Beginning…**_


	9. Chapter 8: The Fall of Monster Hig

**Chapter 8: The Fall of Monster High**

 _…Hexiciah Steam's Workshop…the next day…_

"No, no, no," said Maddie in an admonishing manner, "that won't do at all anymore."

"What are you talking about now, Maddie?" asked a slightly exasperated Dexter as he, Raven, Apple, Frankie and several others, sat in the subterranean lab, having spent the afternoon, evening, night and morning attempting to decipher the strange symbols found in the hidden chamber along with the third Star piece.

"The readers can figure out what we've been doing, Mr. AndrewK9000!" exclaimed Maddie, "we've got more important things to talk about!"

"She's talking to herself again," whispered Operetta to Skelita as they, Jinifire, Venus and Rochelle, were sitting in one corner of the lab, pouring over piles of books on decryption and obscure language translations.

"And you're worried by that?" asked Venus.

"This comes from someone who talks to plants?" asked Rochelle.

"Lots of people talk to plants," said Venus, "Monsters, Normies, even animals."

"My grandfather talks to plants," said Skelita.

"So do the people on my world," said Avery.

"That's not the point!" exclaimed Maddie, "we can go on like this! Are you listening to me, Mr. AndrewK9000!?"

 _Of course I'm listening, Maddie! I'm always listening! What's wrong now?!_

"The name, that's what's wrong!" said Maddie.

 _What name?_

"Hexiciah Steam's Workshop, that's what!" said Maddie. She then looked at Robecca, whom was standing next to Ghoulia as her laptop ran through a translation program, "aren't you tired of calling this place Hexiciah Steam's Workshop?"

"Why would I be tired of calling my father's lab what it is?" asked Robecca, "are you serious?" she then looked at Ghoulia, "she can't be serious, right?" to which Ghoulia moaned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I am serious!" said Maddie stubbornly as she crossed her arms, "and I insist that we rename the lab."

"That's it, I'm officially declaring her insane," said Cleo.

"How do you know she hasn't already been?" asked Clawdeen.

"Somebody's gotta talk to her," said Lagoona.

"I'll talk to her," said Raven, "Maddie, you do realize that we're in someone else's room, right? That we're guests in this school? That we're guests on this world?"

"I don't care, Raven," said Maddie, "this is a discombobulated situation, one that I refuse to allow to go further." She then sat down with her arms still crossed, "I'm not letting this story go any further until we change the lab's name. You hear me, Mr. AndrewK9000?"

 _You can't be serious, Maddie. Do you honestly believe you can stop the story? Are you as mad as your heritage makes you out to be?_

"Why, of course I am," said Maddie proudly, "and I will hold up the story. You don't believe me? Check this out!"

* * *

 _What? What is this?_

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 _What are you doing, Maddie?_

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 _This…this is impossible! You can't do this, Maddie!_

"I can and I am," said Maddie, "and I'll keep doing it unless you change the name of the lab."

 _Why you blackmailing little psychopath! Who do you think you are!? No, I know who you are and the answer is no! I absolutely refuse to give in to your ridiculous demands!_

"Have it your way then!" said Maddie cheerfully, "but I doubt your readers would appreciate it if you failed to finish the story, just like you failed with that crossover with Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Wizard 101."

 _I NEVER SAID I FAILED WITH THAT ONE! I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT! NOW YOU STOP STALLING THE STORY OR I'LL WRITE YOU OUT!_

"You wouldn't dare!" said an outraged Maddie as she stood up with her hands on her hips, "you wouldn't! You can't have an Ever After High story without Maddie Hatter!"

 _You think I'm bluffing? Check this out!_

"Hey, where'd did Maddie go?" asked Frankie, "one second she was talking to herself, then she just…vanished."

"You're right, she is gone," said an astonished and worried Raven, "do…do people usually vanish at Monster High?"

"Not really," said an unsure Frankie, "they sometimes get pulled into lockers by tentacle creatures, but no one just up and vanishes."

"Unless you're Invisa Billy," said Lagoona, "then you can disappear at will. Oh, there's Maddie."

"What happened to you?" asked Raven, yet Maddie ignored her.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, Mr. AndrewK9000!" shouted Maddie as she waved her fist in the air irately, "I'll stall this story until the cow jumps over all the moons of Jupiter, Saturn and the other gas giants!"

 _And I'll make it so you're never even mentioned in a memory! Are you happy now, Maddie? We're at an impasse! Is this what you want?_

"Well, no," Maddie pouted, "I don't want this at all; I just wanted the lab to have a better name, that's all. Can't we compromise or something?"

 _Well, alright, we can compromise._

"Hooray!" cheered Maddie, "now, about that name…"

 _Hold on, we haven't agreed to the compromise._

"Oh, sorry," said Maddie, "okay, I'll promise not to stall the story again if you promise not to write me out."

 _Agreed, and I'll allow this one alteration, if you promise to stop interrupting the story whenever something happens that you don't like. Agreed?_

"Agreed," said Maddie, "now, about that name…"

 _Sorry, but I get to name it, no arguments._

"Oh, alright," said Maddie, "but it'd better be a good name."

 _I'm sure you'll like it._

 _… **The Steam Vault…**_

"That's what you're calling it now?" asked Maddie, "well, it's kinda nice."

 _Thank you, now can I please get on with the story? We've wasted enough of the readers time as it is._

"Oh, sorry," said Maddie, "yes, please, continue."

"Will someone please tell her to stop that?" asked Cleo, "it's starting to creep me out."

"Oh, you'll get used to it," said Cupid, "so has anyone had any luck translating those symbols?"

"You try to figure out a language that's been dead for who knows how many thousands of years or so!" said Cleo irately as she threw down a book on ancient languages of Mesopotamia.

"Well, someone had to have spoken those words," said Clawdeen as she put down a book on ancient languages and picked up another, "someone set up that room."

"We do know that the room was sealed up approximately two hundred years ago," said Venus, "which means it was set up around the founding of Monster High."

"The whole catacombs predate the founding of Monster High," said Operetta, "I've been down here for a long time and I still haven't figured out all the tunnels and passages."

"Well, let's look at the symbols again," said Frankie.

"We've looked at them a hundred times!" said an exasperated Cleo, "looking at them again isn't going to change anything."

"At least we're still trying!" said Clawdeen irately, "you know, Cleo, I'm getting a little tired of your pessimistic attitude!"

" _I_ am pessimistic?" asked Cleo, "believe me, Clawdeen, I am well beyond pessimistic."

"Then what the heck are you still doing down here?!" asked Operetta, "if you're just gonna moan and complain like an underpaid diva, then go do that somewhere else!"

At that Cleo looked ready to shout at Operetta, but sighed angrily, "Fine! If that's how you see it, if my presence is no longer desired, I shall take my leave!" with her nose up in the air, Cleo turned and walked out of the workshop, just as Bloodgood walked in.

"Good gracious," said Bloodgood as she looked back at Cleo, "and I thought her sister had a flair for dramatics."

"Headmistress!" said Frankie as she and the others stood up.

"Welcome to my father's workshop," said Robecca, "or rather, The Steam Vault."

"What a remarkably clever name," said Bloodgood, "worthy of a remarkably clever man. Yes, I should have come down and visit sooner, especially after your remarkable adventure involving that remarkable time machine," she then looked at Frankie, "especially that remarkable creature your remarkable grandfather created and left such a remarkable mess in the school."

"Uh…yeah, sorry about that," said Frankie sheepishly.

"Did you see the chamber with the third Star piece, headmistress?" asked Venus.

"I did indeed," said Bloodgood, "it's an extraordinary find. As soon as I heard of its discovery, I went through the school archives, going all the way back to the original survey of the property on which Monster High was built upon. There's not one mention of such a chamber."

"We figured as much," said Avery.

"Whoever built that chamber knew what they were doing," said Raven, "whatever spell or enchantment they used to put that broach out of phase with reality, it's a real dozy."

"Don't you know a spell or enchantment that could negate what was done in the room?" asked Skelita.

"It wouldn't be that easy," said Jinifire.

"Perhaps a potion or some form of catalyst," said Rochelle.

"A trigger that'll bring the broach back into our reality," said Venus.

"Don't you think I've thought of that already?" asked an irate Raven. She then summoned her spell notebook, then several tomes on magic, "this is everything I brought with me from Ever After. There's spells on vanishing and reappearing objects, spells on translating obscure languages, spells for hiding and revealing secrets, I've tried them all and no luck."

"Magic from this world must work differently than on our world," said Dexter.

"Thought of that too," said Raven.

"Have you tried to find 'E?'" asked Bloodgood.

"We have and are," said Raven, "no luck there."

"Wait, what 'E?'" asked Dexter.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" asked Robecca, "'E' is the most commonly used letter in the English language, so it's natural to find the most common letter or symbol in a foreign language and use that as a point of reference."

"Trouble is, there's three symbols that are equally common," said Raven, "whoever heard of a language that had three E's?"

"Depends on the diacritics," said a werewolf with a heavy Brooklyn accent at the entrance to the Steam Vault. She had long blonde hair, amber eyes behind glasses and wore a red blouse and gold skirt. "You try writing in different languages and you'll be surprised just how many accent marks you can put on an E."

"Clawdia!" said a surprised Clawdeen. She then ran up to and hugged her big sister, "I thought you were busy working on your latest project!"

"I was," said Clawdia, "but I dropped everything as soon as I heard you ghouls were in trouble. Oh, and guess who came with me from Hauntlywood?" She then looked over her shoulder, "wait a second, she was right behind me on the way down the catacombs. It doesn't matter, she'll be along soon. So, what's this about a weird language you ghouls can't figure out? And where's Clawd?"

"That's a good question," said Lagoona, "come to think of it, I haven't seen him, Gil, Heath, Deuce and Jackson for a while now."

"They're in one of the testing annexes," said Robecca.

"Testing annexes?" asked Frankie.

"I didn't show you the special rooms my father built to test his more unstable inventions?" asked Robecca. She then frowned and tapped the side of her head, "I must have a cog or sprocket stuck somewhere. Ghoulia, be a dear and help me fix my works?"

At that Ghoulia moaned in affirmation and walked over with a tool kit. Robecca sat down and opened a panel on the side of her head, revealing her clockwork brain. Ghoulia pulled out a small flashlight and a smaller screwdriver and began examining Robecca's inner gears.

"That's just disturbing," said Avery to Apple, "it's like watching brain surgery, only without the icky parts."

"It _is_ brain surgery, of a sorts," said Apple, "only without the icky parts." She then blinked in confusion, "wait a moment," she then looked at Clawdia, "you said you heard that there was trouble at Monster High. How is that possible?"

"That's right," said Cleo in an accusing manner as she walked back in, "That uncouth cretin, Irvin, he said that he made sure that no help would come at all, not from the police, not from the government, not even from our families and friends outside Monster High."

"So how come you're here and no one else?" asked Raven.

"Just what are you implying?" asked Bloodgood.

"I'd like to know that myself," said Clawdeen with a menacing edge to her voice, "are you accusing my sister of something dishonest?"

"Wait, are you saying I'm some kind of spy or something?" asked Clawdia, "that's actually a good idea," she then pulled out a pen and notepad, "it'll make a great plot twist for my next screenplay."

"My sister isn't a spy!" exclaimed Clawdeen.

"That may not be your sister," said Avery, "it could be a Kaijin in disguise."

"We know that Orphnochs and Fangire have human forms," said Tobias, "while other Kaijin species can masquerade as humans as well. For all we know, they can take on the appearances of Monsters."

"That's an even better idea!" said Clawdia as she tore off the page she was writing on, balled it up and tossed it over her shoulder, then began writing on a fresh page.

"Hey! No littering in the Steam Vault!" exclaimed Robecca. She then winced as Ghoulia touched a sensitive gear, "Careful!" to which Ghoulia moaned an apology and continued working.

"I'm only gonna say this once, everyone," growled Clawdeen as she stood in front of Clawdia, shielding her sister from the others, "my sister ain't no spy or Kaijin! And if anyone says otherwise!" she then barred her fangs and claws, "you'll have me to deal with too!"

"Ms. Wolf! Control yourself!" demanded an outraged Bloodgood, "no one is accusing your sister of being anyone but herself!" she then glared at Cleo, Raven and the others, "isn't that right?"

"Of course not, Headmistress!" said Frankie, "but…you have to admit, it's a little suspicious."

"So how about it, Clawdia," said Lagoona, "how come you're here and no one else is?"

"I told you I didn't come alone," said Clawdia, "and you'll understand when you hear it from her."

"Her who?" asked Cleo as she put her hands on her hips.

"From me," said a vampire wearing a dark purple and black gothic outfit. She had long, dark purple hair and purple eyes. Around her neck was a large, heart-shaped ruby that glowed warmly. "Sorry I'm late, everyone," she then blushed with slight embarrassment, "I kinda god lost on the way down."

"Elissabat," said an astonished Frankie.

"Your majesty!" exclaimed Cleo as she, Clawdeen, Lagoona and the other students from Monster High bowed.

"Who?" asked Raven.

"A very old and dear friend of Draculaura," said Lagoona.

"And also the Queen of the Vampires," said Cleo, "you see that gorgeous ruby around her neck? That's the Vampire Heart. Only the rightful sovereign of all vampires can light it up."

"And it's partly because of this that I knew that you all were in trouble," said Elissabat as she walked up to Frankie and the others.

"Tell them how you sensed that some the trouble going down," said Clawdia as she flipped the page on her notepad and continued writing, "and spare no details."

"You were there when it happened," said Elissabat.

"Yeah, but you tell it better," said Clawdia.

"Well, it's like this," said Elissabat, "there I was with Clawdia, Honey Swamp and Viperine Gorgon. We were on location in New Zeeland to film my latest movie…"

"I thought you were on the west coast," said Lagoona.

"Yeah, that's where Hauntlywood is," said Robecca, "at least I think it is. Ghoulia, have you found my memory gears yet?"

At that Ghoulia moaned in affirmation, then moaned some more.

"You're sure nothing's lose or stuck?" asked Robecca, "well, maybe there's a broken gear tooth somewhere."

"Hauntlywood is more than a place," said Elissabat, "it's an ideal."

"Wherever you're making movie magic, that's Hauntlywood," said Clawdia. She then looked at Elissabat, "go on."

"Thank you," said Elissabat, "anyway, were in New Zeeland to film a fantasy epic. The geography on those islands is perfect for a fantasy epic."

"Wait a second," said Cupid as she looked at Elissabat, "I think I've seen you before."

"You might have," said Elissabat modestly, "I'm kinda a movie star."

"You were so busy at Ever After High," said Lagoona to Cupid, "you missed a few _Vampire Majesty_ movies."

"Oh My Ghoul!" exclaimed a joyfully smiling Cupid, "Are you…are you Veronica von Vamp?!"

"Yes, that's my stage name," said Elissabat.

At that the demigoddess of love let out an ear-piercing fangirl squeal and rushed up to Elissabat, "Oh My Ghoul! I am your biggest fan!"

"How often does she hear that?" Dexter whispered to Tobias, whom was speechless as his girlfriend happily bounced on her feet in front of Elissabat, while the vampire queen/actress pulled out a pen for an autograph.

"That's so sweet of you," said Elissabat as she borrowed Clawdia's notepad and wrote out an autograph, then handed the paper to Cupid.

"Thank you!" said Cupid as she looked at the autograph, her eyes brimming with joyful tears, "I'll treasure it forever!"

"Yes, we're all happy for you," said a somewhat envious Cleo as Cupid rushed over to Tobias to show off the autograph, "now can we please get on with the story?"

"There's really not that much to tell," said Elissabat, "we were taking a break because of the weather, when the Vampire's Heart began pulsing. I then sensed that something terrible had happened to Draculaura and knew that I had to get to Monster High as soon as possible."

"You can do that?" asked Clawdeen, "stop in the middle of filming a movie and take off?"

"We were going to stop anyway," said Clawdia, "there was only two days of filming left, and that bad weather Elissabat mention, turned out to be a tropical storm."

"We would have come sooner but all flights in the area were grounded because of the storm," said Elissabat, "we had to wait it out. We simply finished the filming with Chroma Key."

"Them special effect guys," said Clawdia, "they can really work magic."

"There's no substitute for the real thing," muttered Raven.

"To cut a long story short," said Elissabat, "Clawdia and I hopped on the first available flight back and here we are. So, exactly what happened to Draculaura?"

"Oh, nothing much," said Cleo sarcastically, "Draculaura was abducted by Valentine and turned evil, nothing serious."

"What?" asked a stunned Elissabat.

"Valentine turned Draculaura evil," said Cleo, "oh, she can sense these strange but beautiful diamonds that are part of some strange item from who knows what that a bunch of villains want, nothing serious."

"Valentine?!" exclaimed Elissabat, "that heart-breaking son of a motherless goat!?"

"You know him?" asked Frankie.

"I should," said Elissabat as she irately crossed her arms, "bastard tried to break my heart! This was before I fled Transylvania with The Vampire Heart. I told him if I ever saw him again, I'd rip his heart out and put it on a shelf!"

"This is fangtastic!" exclaimed Claudia as she furiously wrote, "keep it coming! Academy Award, here I come!"

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed Clawdeen as she put her hands on her hips, "you're seriously gonna turn all of this into a movie?!"

"Why not?" asked Clawdia, "this is Oscar material if I've ever seen any."

"To hell with the Oscars!" said Elissabat, "that sack of guano, Valentine, he has my best fiend and is making her do who knows what horrible things! We've got to do something!"

"We are doing something," said Raven in an exasperated tone, "if we can get at the third Star piece in that symbol room."

"What Star piece?" asked Clawdia, "what symbol room?"

And so Frankie, Raven and the others quickly informed Clawdia and Elissabat of everything that had happened so far, from Draculaura's discovery of the necklace, up to the finding of the broach and symbols.

"If we can just translate those symbols," said Raven as she laid out several pages of copied symbols on a table, "I'm positive they're instructions on getting the broach back to normal space and time."

Raven then sighed with exasperated frustration, "but I've got nothing. I know, we've only been at it for a day, but in that day we've tried everything I can think of and more with no luck."

"Have you ever seen anything like this, Elissabat?" asked Venus, "perhaps in your 1600 years you've come across something like what we've found."

"She's a year older than Draculaura," said Rochelle.

"And not much wiser," said Elissabat as she looked at the symbols, "I'm sorry, I've never seen anything like this."

"Well, there's nothing to it then," said Skelita, "it's alien writing."

"Oh please," said Jinifire, "there's no such thing as aliens."

"The Worms were aliens," said Tobias, "and there's plenty of Kaijin that come from parallel dimensions. Not to mention an entire cosmos of nasty species out there in space."

"That's only true if you believe the worst," said Clawdia, "as a writer, I've found it's best to keep an open mind about things, to try to see things from different angles and weigh all possibilities, especially with fiction."

"Is that so," said Raven.

"And speaking of different angles," said Clawdia, "sometimes when I'm plagued by writer's block, I stand on my head for a while."

"You what?" asked Raven.

"Oh, right, you did do that sometimes," said Clawdeen.

"Like this," said Clawdia as she walked up to the wall and stood on her hands, "the extra blood in my head helps the creative process."

"You should do that, Raven," suggested Maddie, "try standing on your head."

"Stand on my head," scoffed Raven, "of all the nonsense." She then noticed that one of the pages of the symbols had fallen on the floor. She picked it up and put it back on the table, then realized that the page was upside down.

But just as she was about to realign the page, Raven paused, backed away a step, then back to the table and began turning all the pages upside down.

"What are you up to?" asked Dexter.

"It couldn't be that simple, could it?" Raven asked herself, "they wouldn't have made decrypting it that simple, would they?" She then stepped back from the table and looked at the pages, "they did! It's so stupid, it's brilliant!"

"What's brilliant?" asked Frankie.

"The Rosskarnians!" said a widely smiling Raven, "or whoever made that room! They put the symbols upside down so no one could understand or decrypt them! I mean, who would think to use that as your encryption!?"

"Not me," said an astonished Maddie, "and I usually have a good idea what's going on. Nice fastball there, Mr. AndrewK9000."

"Never mind your imaginary friend!" snapped Cleo. She then looked at Raven, "can you translate the symbols now?"

"I have to see the whole thing first," said Raven, "the whole room and all the symbols in the order they were placed, but yes, I can translate them, now that I know what to do. I'll be back in a bit!" with that she ran out of the lab.

"Well, she's in a good mood again," said Cupid.

"Someone needs to go and keep an eye on her," said Apple, "I'm afraid Raven's been pushing herself far too hard."

"She seems perfectly fine to me," said Cleo.

"That's because you haven't been fighting nonstop against Obsidian for…for…" said Dexter, "for…I can't remember how long we've been fighting."

"Since the night of the eclipse and meteor shower," said Apple, "goodness, it seems like forever."

"It hardly seems like that," said Avery, "but yeah, it's been a while."

"Raven was supposed to rest after we beat Cuthbert," said Apple, "but she's barely had a chance to catch her breath. In fact, she didn't sleep last night at all."

"That's right," said Frankie, "while we all took turns sleeping, she kept working on the symbols."

"And she's hardly eaten a thing," said Maddie as she held up a plate full of food, "look, she barely touched her breakfast! And I made snozzberry pancakes, just the way she likes them! Of all the nerve!"

"Well, someone's gotta stop her before she burns out," said Apple, "that broach isn't going anywhere," she then looked at Avery, Dexter and Tobias, "gentlemen, you are to go to the symbol chamber and do whatever's necessary to get Raven to stop. Tie her up and carry her upstairs if you have to, but I want her to sleep and relax for the next twenty-four hours."

"Is that a Royal command?" asked Avery.

"It can be if you'd like," said Apple.

"Don't worry, we'll get her to relax," said Tobias, "even if I have to use the Vulcan Nerve Pinch."

"The what now?" asked Clawdeen.

"Never mind," said Tobias as he, Dexter and Avery left the lab, "you you're probably too young to know what I'm talking about."

"Uh…apparently not," said a confused Clawdeen.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you ghouls," said Venus as she stood up and stretched, "but I could definitely go for some nutrients and a nice rest."

"You said it, ghoulfriend," said Skelita as she, Operetta, Jinifire and Rochelle followed Venus out of the lab.

"We'll be chowing down soon," said Operetta, "I know a shortcut back upstairs. And while I've got your attention, I'd like to talk to ya'll about my lill project. Rochelle, I know you can roller skate, but can you dance while roller skating? And how's your singing?"

"She's still hung up about putting on that stupid play," said Cleo.

"I think it's wonderful she's still trying," said Lagoona, "I can't wait until she's ready to hold auditions for the part of Dinah."

"I beg your pardon?!" exclaimed Cleo, "I was under the impression that Operetta had me in mind for the role of Dinah. I thought it was made clear during the initial meeting."

"Nothing's set in coral at this point," said Lagoona, "who knows, I may just get the part," she then began speaking with a Southern accent, "ah've been practicing."

"We don't even know if we'll still be able to even put on the play," said Robecca, "and considering the present circumstances, I doubt we ever will."

"I'm forced to agree," said Bloodgood, "given the current crisis, I believe that putting on a play would be highly inappropriate."

"Oh come on, Headmistress," said Frankie, "thing's aren't that bad." At that her hand flew to her forehead as she let out a cry of pain.

"Frankie! What is it?!" asked Lagoona, "what's wrong?"

"I…I'm alright," said Frankie in a weary tone, "I…all of a sudden I got a headache the size of Boo York City."

"That's a big headache," said Clawdia.

"That and I feel really, really tired," said Frankie.

Before anyone could inquire further into Frankie's condition, they were all startled by a wail of despair from Ghoulia. The genius zombie had dropped her tools and rushed towards her laptop.

"Hey now!" said Robecca as her hand pressed against her opened head panel, as if to keep a loose part in place, "you're not done with me!" Ghoulia ignored her as she frantically typed at her computer, her face a mask of hopeless dismay.

"Why is she typing when her computer's off?" asked Lagoona.

"I don't think she turned it off," said Frankie, "I don't think my headache's a headache."

"No!" shouted Cleo as she looked at her iCoffin, "NO! NO! NO! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!"

"What's not happening?" asked a slightly annoyed Clawdeen as she pulled out her phone, then frowned, "that's weird, I could have sworn I charged it earlier."

"My mobile's out of power too," said Lagoona as she looked at her iCoffin, while Frankie, Clawdia and Elissabat did the same.

"What are the odds of everyone's phones all running out of power at the exact same time?" asked Clawdeen.

"Our phones are still working," said Apple as she and Maddie pulled out their mobile devices, "but they run on magical batteries."

"Everything that uses electricity has been effected," said Bloodgood as she saw Ghoulia fruitlessly try to restart her computer, "something is not right at all. All of you, stay here until I return," she then walked out of the lab, then walked back in, "and I mean it, _do not leave!_ That goes double for you, Frankie!"

"The way I'm feeling, Headmistress, I'm not going anywhere," said Frankie, "you don't have to tell me twice."

"Well, I'm saying it anyway," said Bloodgood. She then walked out again.

It was then that a hidden door in the lab opened and in walked Clawd, Deuce, Heath, Gil and Jackson, later carrying a wooden box filled with metal objects, while all five boys held out their iCoffins.

"Can someone explain how all our phones lost power at the same time?" asked Clawd. He then saw Clawdia, "oh, hi, big sis, when did you get back in town?"

"Long story, little bro," said Clawdia.

"Everyone's phones have been affected," said Elissabat, "everything electric, even Frankie."

"I feel like I haven't been charged all week," said Frankie as she wearily sat down, "only that I used up all that voltage in a heartbeat."

Just then everyone heard Ghoulia screech in an outraged manner. Frankie and the others saw that Ghoulia had opened up her laptop, revealing smoke fumes and a scorched motherboard.

"Goodness!" said Apple, "what could have done that?"

"The same thing that happened to everyone's phones," said Jackson after he opened his own iCoffin, revealing scorched circuitry, "and EMP."

"Electromagnetic Pulse?" asked Frankie, "that would explain why I feel so tired and my head hurts so much. But what caused the EMP in the first place?"

"Could be anything from solar flares to a high altitude nuclear explosion," said Jackson, "and we can rule out a nuclear bomb, we would have felt the blast all the way down here."

At that Ghoulia moaned something in the form of a question.

"I don't know how the EMP affected us all the way down here," said Jackson, "it did, but it shouldn't have. We're hundreds of meters below the surface. We should have been shielded."

At that Elissabat cried out in surprise and clutched at the glowing ruby around her neck, "oh my Ghoul, everyone, something really, really, really bad is about to happen."

"Maybe it already has," said Gil as he held a worried Lagoona, while Cleo and Deuce embraced and the three Wolf siblings held hands, "maybe it's already just begun."

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you," said Heath, "but I'm not gonna sit around and wonder what's going on." With that he started towards the lab door.

"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Frankie, "the Headmistress said we were to stay put!"

"She didn't tell me to stay put," said Heath as he stepped out of the lab, "besides, Abbey's upstairs."

"For all we know, she's already on her way down here," said Jackson as he walked over to a table that had a box full of spare phone parts, "at least wait until I can get one of our phones working again."

"Sorry, cousin," said Heath, "no can do."

"Heath, don't make this more difficult than it has to be," said Clawdeen as she walked after him, "you may not have been here when she said it, but Bloodgood's orders meant for all of us."

"Well, I'm not following them this time," said Heath as Clawdeen stood just outside the lab entrance and he just beyond her reach. Heath then smiled mischievously, "ah, the joke's on you this time, Clawdeen. You can't throw me out, I'm already outside."

"Not for long," said Clawdeen. She then stepped out, grabbed Heath, lifted him up and tossed him into the lab, earning a cry of pain from Heath as he landed on the floor.

"That's that," said Clawdeen, "but we still don't know what's going on upstairs."

"Just wait a bit," said Maddie, "things should start moving again pretty soon."

"I thought they were moving already," said Cupid.

It was then that Clair and Sasha, the former supporting the latter as she suffered a violent coughing fit, staggered into the lab, while a dazed and coughing Kivat clung to Clair's shoulder.

"I hate it when you're right," said Cupid to Maddie, whom modestly sipped her tea.

"Clair!" shouted Jackson.

"What happened?!" exclaimed Frankie as she, Jackson and Apple rushed over and helped Clari and Sasha sit down.

"It's over, Frankie!" exclaimed Clair in a despairing tone, "it's all over!"

"What's all over?" asked Jackson.

"Monster…High," gasped Sasha between coughs, "the school has fallen to the enemy."

"What…how…who…when…why…?" asked Cleo.

"That just leaves 'where,'" said Jackson.

"Shut up!" shouted Clawdeen. She then grabbed Sasha by the shoulder, "tell me what happened!"

"The enemy!" said Ian as he staggered into the lab, coughing violent, followed by Wilhelm, Lance and Jessie, whom were also violently coughing, "they fooled us all!"

"We…we didn't think they'd do this," said Wilhelm between coughs, "highly unconventional tactics for Obsidian."

"What? Are you talking about that EMP just now?" asked Jackson.

"They used an EMP bomb to cut the power," said Ian, "knocking out the Material Emancipation Grills."

"I thought we had backup generators in case we did lose power!" said Lagoona.

"We do," said Lance, "but there was a fifteen second delay before the power would come back. The enemy used that delay to fire teargas shells into the school."

"Teargas?" asked a shocked and appalled Frankie.

"Dozens of shells," said Jessie, "hundreds even, I don't know. Before we knew it, every classroom and hallway was filled with black smoke."

"The air, it got too bad to breathe," said Sasha, "we had no choice but to hit the fire alarm. Fortunately, that system has its own emergency battery supply."

"But it was all a trap," said Clair, "the enemy had Orphnochs, Fangire and Shadow Acolytes waiting at all the emergency exits. Everyone was too disoriented from the gas to realize they were stumbling into a trap!"

"The bastards! They captured everyone they could get their filthy claws on!" shouted Lance. "I don't know how many got away, students, teachers, but they caught a lot."

"My Ghoul!" exclaimed Lagoona, "all our friends!"

"Wait, how'd you lot get away!?" exclaimed Robecca as she glared at Clair, Sasha, Ian, Lance, Jessie and Wilhelm.

"And how come Clair isn't coughing?" asked Deuce.

"Yeah, how come you're not affected?" asked Heath, "and what about Abbey? Did she get away?"

"We don't know," said Clair, "we don't know anything after they started catching our friends. And I don't know why I'm not coughing."

"We'll worry about that later," said Sasha, "anyway, as soon as the gas started, Clair and I took shelter in a closet and tore some cloths for makeshift gas masks."

"We did the same thing," said Ian, while Lance, Jessie and Wilhelm nodded in agreement.

"We both knew we had to get down here and warn you all," said Wilhelm, while Sasha nodded in agreement, "to find Bloodgood and warn her."

"She was on her way back up to find things out," said Frankie, "didn't you see her?"

"There's more than one path in the catacombs back up to the surface," said Robecca, "oh my cogs and sprockets! Operetta and the others! They don't know! They're walking right into the teargas!"

"The gas must be clearing by now, but it doesn't matter," said Sasha, "before we started down into the catacombs, we saw Orphnochs and Fangire in the school corridors."

"By now the halls of Monster High are crawling with Kaijin," said Wilhelm, "looking for anyone who didn't manage to evacuate."

"Where's Chad?!" asked Gil, "I just realized he's not with you!"

"He stayed upstairs to fight back," said Clair in a depressed tone, "I wanted to fight with him, but I still can't transform!" she then walked over to and bashed her fist against the wall, "damn it! Why can't I transform!?"

"It's not your fault," said Sasha, "you still have much to learn, and much to overcome."

"Forget that crud!" exclaimed Clawd as he rummaged through the box filled with metal pieces, "Chad's fighting alone up there!" He then pulled out what looked like a metal gauntlet fitted with clockwork and steam parts, "I've got to help him!"

"It's not ready yet!" said Jackson as Clawd put the gauntlet on his right hand, "we haven't had time for a field test!"

"Now's as good a time as any!" said Clawd, "I won't abandon my man Chad! Besides, Howleen's up there!" With that he dashed out of the lab.

"Clawd!" shouted Clawdeen as she started after her brother, but was restrained by Clawdia.

"Don't worry," said Gil as he, Deuce and Heath ran after him, "we'll bring him back safe!"

"Deuce!" shouted Cleo as she started after him, only to be stopped by Lagoona and Frankie.

"They're doing their thing, we've got to do ours," said Lagoona.

"And just what is that then?" asked Cleo.

"Raven," said Apple, "she's still in the symbol chamber, and I sent Avery, Dexter and Tobias after her."

"Three of our best warriors are unaware of the situation," said Wilhelm, "a most deplorable situation indeed."

"Okay, here's the plan," said Frankie, "Clawdeen, Lagoona, you've still got the keys to Bloodgood's safe?"

"Safe and sound," said Lagoona as she and Clawdeen took out their keys.

"Okay, so whatever happens, the enemy can't get the necklace," said Frankie, "I'm going to warn Raven and the others. Then we'll do whatever we have to do to keep the enemy from getting the broach. We'll all then meet back at The Steam Vault and figure out what to do then."

"My father built in more than a few emergency contingencies in his workshop," said Robecca, "just as soon as I put my head back in order, I'll get the defenses organized."

"That's great," said Frankie, "Elissabat, you…wait, where're you going?"

"Upstairs," said Elissabat as she stood at the doorway, "Draculaura, I can sense her drawing closer. I have to face her."

"I'm going with you," said Cupid as she readied her arrows, "maybe together we can undo whatever Valentine did to her hear."

"No, this is something between vampires," said Elissabat, "I have to face her myself." With that she turned into a bat and flew out of the lab.

"Well, she's certainly not the same Elissabat we met in Hauntlywood," said Frankie, "I guess becoming the queen of vampires made her stronger."

"Ascending to the throne does that," said Apple, "now come on, we've got to get to Raven!"

Yet as Apple and Maddie hurried out of the lab, no one noticed Cleo sneaking out as well.

* * *

 _…Monster High…Main Hallway…_

"Well, well, well," said Irvin smugly as he, Draculaura and Valentine, flanked by Isodore, Xander and half a dozen Fangire and Orphnochs, strode through the school's front door and inside the hallways, "I do love a plan that comes into fruition."

"Cut the power and flood the school with teargas," said Valentine, "forcing the students and teachers outside, where our eager forces await to capture the brats. I must admit, it's brilliant."

"There's one thing I don't understand," said Draculaura, "how did firing a cannon inspire you, Irvin?"

"Well, I originally thought of using howitzers to fire sleeping gas shells into the school," said Irvin, "but then I remembered those wretched Material Emancipation Grills, so I had to take care of those first, not to mention the school's enhanced defenses, most of whom rely on electricity.

"Even so, if we were to flood the school with sleeping gas and disable the freaks, there would no doubt be those who could hold their breath, or at least take shelter somewhere the gas couldn't get them. Then there was the school's interior defenses which, no doubt, Bloodgood would have upgraded since our last incursion into her precious school."

"So instead of making it easier to get inside," said Valentine, "you thought up a way to make the brats come to you."

"And as a result," said Isodore as she held up a tablet and wrote down some figures, "we captured hundreds of freaky students and the majority of the faculty. Oh, a handful managed to evade capture, while Bloodgood is still missing, but it's only a matter of time before they're all rounded up."

"In the meantime," said Xander, "we've yet to secure the catacombs, let alone Bloodgood's safe."

"I can lead us to it," said Draculaura intensely, "my necklace, I can sense it!"

"We have to get to the catacombs first," said Irvin. "and due to the foresight of Bloodgood, there's only one entrance to the catacombs left that she didn't destroy."

"No one said she was a fool," said Valentine, "just foolish for standing in our way."

Just then Hortensia ran up to and whispered something into Irvin's ear.

"Are you sure?" asked Irvin, "just the one?"

"Just the one, Mr. Weis," said Hortensia, "the rest of the school is clear, but the entrance to the catacombs is barred by Faiz. He's already destroyed several Orphnochs."

"Speaking of fools," said Irvin, "we have a lone Rider standing in our way." He then frowned, "and yet, no word of Kiva. What could have happened to that one?"

"If he's not dead, he soon will be," said Draculaura, "but let's take care of that idiot Faiz."

* * *

The assembled villains made their way through the near empty hallways of Monster High, occasionally passing a Kaijin in human form, each gray-clad or outlandishly dressed creature saluting Irvin or giving applause of triumph.

They then came across more Orphnochs and Fangire in their true forms, eventually reaching the main entrance to the catacombs, where a breathless Faiz stood facing half a dozen Orphnochs, with more Kaijin surrounding him. Several piles of dust littered the floor, while Faiz was covered in scorch marks and dented armor.

Before Irvin could react, an overeager Orphnoch ran toward Faiz, only for Faiz to deliver a massive kick to the creature's head, sending it slamming into the wall where it burst into blue flames and crumbled into dust.

"He's been slaughtering every Orphnoch who gets close," said Hortensia, "and look!" she then pointed to a few shards of stained glass on the floor, "he even took out some Fangire!"

"Well, this is different," said a frowning Irvin, "and here I thought that the brats Alabaster picked to be Faiz were helpless against Fangire."

"I'm different from Ian and the others!" said Faiz defiantly, "it doesn't matter what species of Kaijin you throw at me! I'm not letting any of you jerks into the catacombs!"

"Maybe I will!" said Draculaura viciously, "perhaps I'll come over and give you a kiss of death or two!"

"I think not," said Valentine impatiently, "this is ridiculous!" he then glared at Hortensia, "why don't you rush him and get it over with!?"

"We tried rushing him!" said Hortensia, "he keeps destroying Kaijin like they're on sale or something!"

"Then perhaps you're using inferior Kaijin," said Valentine, "and weren't there supposed to be more Orphnochs and Fangire with us today?"

"You may be right," said Irvin, "ever since we left headquarters, I had a nagging suspicion we were shorthanded somewhat." He then looked at Xander, "do a headcount of the remaining Kaijin with us." At that Xander nodded in acknowledgement and rushed out of the area.

"Well then," said Irvin, "if the usual Kaijin won't do, then perhaps another kind of creature would suffice." He then looked at Isodore and Hortensia, "ladies, would one of you do the honor?"

"The usual?" asked Hortensia.

"Best of three," said Isodore as she balled up her right hand into a fist, while Hortensia did the same, "winner does the summoning."

At that the two Shadow Acolytes played a game of Rock Paper Scissors, with Isodore winning two out of three.

"Better luck next time," said Isodore smugly while an irate Hortensia stood back with Irvin, Valentine and Draculaura. Hortensia then cracked her knuckles, raised her arms up and began chanting in a language that reverberated with dark magic.

The gathered Orphnochs and Fangire stood out of the way as a circle of dark purple energy began forming on the floor between Hortensia and Faiz. From that circle rose a mass of solidified shadow that pulsated with a dark purple energy. The mass then expanded into the shape of a three-meter-tall creature that was a cross between a mammal and a bird.

"What…what is that?" asked a confused Faiz, "is that…a Owlbear?"

"Oh, you know your D&D creatures," said an impressed Isodore, "but it'll do you no good!" she then gestured at the Shadow Owlbear, "go forth and kill!"

At that the Shadow Owlbear let out a roaring screech and rushed at Faiz, whom barely dodged a swipe from the creature's claws. Faiz recovered and delivered a hard right punch, only for his fist to pass through the creature as if it weren't there.

"Oh, I get it," said Draculaura as she and the other villains watched Faiz dodge another claw slash from the Shadow Owlbear, "it's a shadow, so he can't touch it."

"But it can touch him," said Isodore as the Shadow Owlbear finally slashed at and hit Faiz, causing sparks to shot out from Faiz's chestplate. Disorientated, Faiz was ensnared by the creature's massive arms in a crushing embrace.

"Ah, now comes the finishing move of the Owlbear," said Valentine, "it grabs its prey in a bone-snapping 'hug,' then it goes for the kill with its beak." Indeed, the Shadow Owlbear's beak was raised to strike at Faiz's head.

Just then Clawd dashed out from the catacombs entrance and delivered a steam-powered punch to the Shadow Owlbear, knocking it down and freeing Faiz.

"Oh, you meddling mutt!" shouted an outraged Valentine, "you ruined it!"

"And I'll ruin everything you throw at us, Valentine!" shouted Clawd, while Gil and Deuce emerged from the catacombs and helped Faiz back up.

"Just as we'll ruin everything Obsidian throws at us," said Gil.

"You pathetic boys really think you can stop us?" asked Draculaura, "just give me my necklace. Oh, and give me the third Star piece while you're at it. I can't tell exactly where it is, but it's here somewhere."

"You want it? Come and get it!" said Deuce as he prepared to take his sunglasses off and petrify the first enemy that got close.

"That was so funny, I forgot to laugh," said Irvin, "face it, you bratty freaks! Monster High belongs to Obsidian now! If Obsidian had a flag, it'd be flying from the school's flagpole by now."

"We've captured and enthralled nearly all your fellow freaks!" said Hortensia, "and the miniscule few that got away, they'll be hunted down and enslaved before they know it"

"Just as we'll enslave you, Clawd," said Draculaura, "you and the rest, including your sisters. Oh, we'll get Lagoona, Frankie and everyone else, wherever they're hiding."

"Never!" shouted Clawd. But then he was blindsided by the Shadow Owlbear and knocked down.

"You surprised my shadowy friend," said Isodore as the creature turned to face Gil, Deuce and Faiz, "but your petty tricks won't work again."

"Then how about some real magic?!" exclaimed Cleo as she emerged from the catacombs holding a small stone tablet engraved with hieroglyphs and the Eye of Ra. She held up the tablet and chanted a word in Ancient Egyptian, causing the 'Eye' to shoot a beam of pure sunlight at the Shadow Owlbear. The creature screeched in agony as the sunlight dissolved its shadowy mass into nothing.

"Cleo!" said a surprised Deuce, "what are you doing up here?"

"Helping me get up here," said Elissabat as she emerged from the catacombs, "I would have been here sooner, but I got lost again."

"Elissabat?" asked a genuinely surprised Draculaura, "What are you doing here?"

"I sensed you were in trouble," said Elissabat, "and boy was I right. What is the matter with you, Draculaura?! Where are your marbles!? You do realize who _that_ is you're standing with, right!?"

"Of course I know," said an affronted Draculaura, "this is Valentine, the love of my immortal life." With that she grabbed Valentine and pulled him down for a lustful kiss, to which he returned with equal fervor.

"Oh, sick," said a disgusted Deuce.

"Don't look, man," said Gil as he tried to shield Clawd from the vile display of passion.

"Now I know you've lost your mind!" exclaimed Elissabat, "I just had to be sure!"

"No! It's not that!" said Clawd as he glared at Valentine, "he did something to her! Well, it ends now!" he then rushed at Valentine, ready to deliver another steam-powered punch.

But Valentine was quicker as he effortlessly tripped Clawd, then got behind him, grabbed Clawd and threw him into a set of nearby lockers.

"Clawd!" shouted Deuce.

"Enough of this nonsense," said Irvin as he charged up a sphere of dark magic, "if they won't come willingly, we'll just have to take away their ability to resist." He then threw the sphere at Deuce and Cleo, only for Elissabat to get in front of them, the glowing ruby that was The Vampire's Heart projecting a shield that canceled out the dark magic attack.

"The Vampire's Heart," said an impressed Valentine.

"Whosoever makes it glow is the rightful ruler of all vampires," said Irvin, "but if the wearer is dead, then it'll pass to someone else." He then gestured to two Orphnochs, "kill her and bring me the ruby." At that the Orphnochs nodded and rushed at Elissabat.

 **EXCEEDE CHARGE**

Faiz, now wielding the handlebrake-like sword that glowed with red energy, rushed at the two oncoming Orpnhochs.

"Sparkle Cut!" shouted Faiz as he delivered two slashes apiece to the Orphnochs, causing them both to burst into flame and crumble into dust.

"Let's go already!" shouted Gil as he grabbed a dazed Clawd from the wreckage of the lockers. He and Deuce then carried Clawd towards the catacombs entrance.

"Stop them!" shouted Irvin as Cleo followed Deuce downstairs, followed by Elissabat

"Stop this!" shouted Faiz as he took the phone off his belt and dialed.

 **1 0 3**

 **SINGLE MODE**

At that the phone shifted into an energy blaster. Faiz then aimed and fired a 3-second burst of red energy at the Oprhnochs, then fired another burst at the ceiling, collapsing it. Faiz ran into the catacombs entrance just as it was blocked by rubble.

"I really don't like that Faiz guy," said Draculaura irately as the Orphnochs and Fangire franticly worked to clear the wreckage from the catacombs entrance. "I don't care which Normie is wearing that suit, I don't like Faiz, end of discussion."

"I don't like any Rider, my darling," said Valentine, "but fear not, it's only a matter of time before we'll have all those who oppose us right where we want them."

"They have nowhere else to run," said Irvin, "even if they manage to find a way out of the catacombs, they'll find no help outside, I've made sure of it."

* * *

 _…Meanwhile…_

"Raven!" shouted Apple as she, Maddie and Frankie ran into the symbol chamber. They saw Raven standing next to the hovering broach, while Avery, Tobias and Dexter were off to one side.

"Raven! We've got to go!" said Apple, "Monster High has fallen!"

"What?!" exclaimed Avery, while Tobias and Dexter looked equally shocked.

"The baddies are catching the students like bottle bugs in a big net!" said Maddie, "we've got to make like an ice cream sundae and get the fudge out of here before the cherry drops, and they're already pouring the whipped cream!"

"Is it me or does that make perfect sense?" asked Dexter.

"It does, and that worries me," said Avery.

"But we can't leave yet!" said Tobias, "Raven still hasn't gotten the broach!"

"I thought she knew what to do," said Frankie.

"And you three were to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't hurt herself!" said Apple to Avery, Tobias and Dexter, "staying here while those horrible Kaijin make their way down the corridors is suicide!"

"I know, but we can't leave yet!" said Dexter, "Raven's still working!"

"She's casting the spell to bring the broach back into phase with reality," said Avery, "if we stop her now, it could kill her."

"She…she could die?" asked Apple as she, Maddie and Frankie realized that Raven was holding her hands on either side of the broach, her lips moving in silent spell casting.

"What…what happened here?" asked Frankie.

"Once she knew to use a translation spell while upside down," said Avery, "she figured out the exact spell to get the broach."

"But that's only the tip of the iceberg," said Tobias. He then indicated the symbols on the walls, "these are more than instructions on recovering the broach. It's a brief history of Rosskarn and The Star."

"They were an ancient civilization from another dimension," said Avery, "the Rosskarnians. Millions of years ago, long before man evolved from apes, Rosskarn was a thriving culture of music, art and magic."

"But their world was dying," said Dexter, "their sun was heating up rapidly, using up its fuel of hydrogen and going nova. What should have taken billions of years was occurring in a matter of decades."

"They knew they couldn't stop it, the Rosskarnians," said Avery, "so they decided to evacuate their entire population to another world."

"They had the means of opening portals to other planets," said Dexter, "but only so many light years at a time. They knew there wasn't time to search for a habitable world capable of supporting their entire population."

"So they decided to make several," said Tobias, "the greatest of Rosskarn's magic users combined their powers to create a device capable of teraforming an inhospitable planet into an ideal world."

"Instant Class M planet!" said Avery, "long story short, they used the device to make several new Rosskarns across their galaxy. The original Rosskarn was gone, burned up when their star went nova, but the people and culture survived."

"But the magic users knew that their teraforming device was too dangerous," said Tobias, "it had the power to completely remake a world into whatever the user wished, erasing the old world and everything on it in the process."

"Oh my ghoul!" said a horrified Frankie, "If they used something like that on Earth, then…"

"Then everything alive on it would be destroyed," said Apple in an equally shocked tone, while Maddie's hands flew to her mouth in horror.

"The device was destroyed long, long ago, thank God," said Avery, "but the power source, a great diamond of incredible magic that enabled the device to change a world, it couldn't be destroyed, not completely that is."

"That diamond," said an astonished Frankie, "that was The Star of Rosskarn."

"Indeed," said Avery.

"All the Rosskarnian wizards could do was split The Star into nine pieces," said Tobias, "nine smaller diamonds that were scattered across the galaxy. They hoped that the diamonds would be lost and forgotten."

"But as my grandmother once said," said Avery as he raised his finger, "'great power attracts ambitions men, more often than not those unworthy of wielding it.'"

"There were people who attempted to remake the teraforming device and needed The Star to power it," said Avery, "wicked, merciless people who went so far as to wage war on the scattered Rosskarnians in order to get the diamonds. The Rosskarnians fought back and the wars lasted for thousands, tens of thousands of years."

"In the end billions died on all sides," said Tobias, "the once noble and inspiring race of Rosskarn was nearly extinct. Only a handful survived, among them the descendants of the wizards who sundered The Star. They and the surviving Rosskarnians dedicated their lives and the lives of all who followed them to keeping the diamonds out of the wrong hands."

"Each diamond possesses incredible magic," said Avery, "individually they're nowhere near as powerful as The Star as a whole, but each is strong enough to bring about incredible changes to a world."

"It can either cause a golden age or an age of darkness," said Dexter, "it all depends on who uses it."

"And three of those things are on our world?!" asked Frankie, "I thought they were supposed to be scattered!"

"They are," said Avery, "scattered across parallel universes."

"The symbols don't say how they wound up here," said Tobias, "just that one of the last surviving descendants of Rosskarn came here with three, lost two and hid the third in the catacombs. He, the descendent, he used nearly all the magic he had left to construct this room and put the broach out of reach of mortal hands."

"There's no explanation as to why the diamonds are part of items such as the necklace and ring," said Dexter, "but there is this part," he then indicated one section of the symbols, "apparently the three on this Earth, they've got special enchantments on them. It doesn't say exactly what, only that the enchantments suppress their full power."

"We think the remaining descendants were trying to weaken the diamonds," said Avery, "maybe to further keep them out of the wrong hands."

"Then the one Irvin has, the ring," said Apple, "he can't use its full power."

"But Draculaura was able to sense them," said Frankie, "the necklace and ring." She looked at the broach, "she couldn't sense this one. Which means…"

"That as soon as Raven finishes her spell," finished Apple, "Draculaura will be able to sense the diamond!"

"Which means that as soon as she's done, we have to move!" said Avery urgently.

Just then Elissabat dashed into the room, "what are you guys doing here?! We've got to get everyone out!"

"We know, the enemy's coming," said Tobias.

"They're not just coming," said Elissabat, "they're already here! It's only a matter of time before they get into the catacombs!" She then looked behind her out into the tunnel, "and…wait, where did Cleo and Deuce go? They were with me just a second ago. Now that I think about it, where's Gil and Clawd?"

"We're right here!" called Gil outside in the tunnel, "but I don't see Cleo, Deuce or Chad! And I haven't seen Heath since we ran out of the Steam Vault in the first place."

It was then that the broach flashed with an intense purple light that blinded everyone in the room for a few seconds. When they could see again, Apple and the others saw Raven holding the broach.

"I did it," said Raven as she held up the broach, "I've got the third Star Piece!" she then sighed with exhaustion and passed out, with Dexter catching her before she hit the floor.

"Now she's done it," said Apple, "she hit the wall."

"She can get a good night's sleep later," said Avery as he took the broach from Raven's hand, "we've got to move and move now!"

* * *

 _…Upstairs…_

"I can feel it!" exclaimed Draculaura rapturously, "the third Star piece! I can feel it!" with that she shoved aside the digging Kaijin and with a feat of strength surpassing that of a vampire's already supernatural power, cleared the rubble from the catacombs entrance and dashed down.

"Don't just stand there like idiots!" shouted Irvin at the Orphnochs and Fangire, "follow her! Grab every teenager you find and bring them to me!" At that the assembled Kaijin charged into the catacombs, with Irvin, Valentine and the Shadow Acolytes hurrying after them.

* * *

 _…The Steam Vault…_

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Lagoona as she nervously paced back and forth, "it's been too long, we should have heard something by now."

"Our phones are still fried," said Robecca as she used a mirror to put her head's internal workings back together and closed, "there's no way our friends can call down to tell us what's going on."

"At least someone should go up and try to find out," said Lagoona, "I knew I should have gone with them."

"And risked yourself getting captured and brainwashed? I don't think so," said Clawdeen.

"Oh, and we're okay with letting Gil and the other boys go up and fight alone?" said Lagoona, "Cleo, back me up on this. Cleo? Cleo!? Oh, great, she's gone! That does it! I'm going up to." With that she started towards the door, just as Frankie, Apple and Maddie ran back in, followed by Dexter and Avery carrying Raven, with Tobias bringing up the rear.

"We're back!" shouted Apple, "and we've got the bracelet."

"And now we've got to get out of here," said Avery urgently, "before Draculaura leads a horde of Kaijin right up to our door."

"Time to start packing, people!" shouted Maddie as she rummaged through her hat and pulled out several magically shrunken suitcases that expanded when she sat them down on the floor.

"There's an emergency exit to the surface," said Robecca as she closed the panel on the side of her head, "but…" she looked around The Steam Vault, "my father's workshop. We can't leave it for the enemy."

"Then we'll seal it when we leave," said Frankie, "we can rearm the timer lock and scramble it so it'll be decades before the baddies can get it open again, or something like that."

"There's a timer lock on the door?" asked Cupid, "how'd you turn it off?"

"Long story," said Frankie, "but at least whenever we close the door, the room doesn't become something different every time we open it again."

"Wait! We can't leave yet!" said Lagoona, "Gil and the others are still out there!"

It was then that Gil, Clawd and Elissabat stumbled into the Steam Vault.

"Sorry we're late," said Elissabat as she and Gil sat Clawd down near Clawdeen and Clawdia, "we kept getting lost."

"We almost got caught," said Gil as he and Lagoona embraced, "for a second we were running from a bunch of Fangire and Orphnochs, but we gave them the slip."

"What about Cleo and Deuce?" asked Frankie.

"No sign of them," said Elissabat, "nor did we see Heath, Operetta and her group. And Headmistress Bloodgood is still MIA."

Just then they all heard a distant explosion off in the catacombs.

"That sounded too close for comfort," said Tobias as he stood up, the Sasword Yavier appearing in his hands.

Then came another explosion that sounded even closer. Seconds later Faiz dashed into the workshop and collapsed to the floor as he powered down.

"And…I'm spent," gasped Chad.

"What happened, man?" asked Ian as he, Lance, Jessie, Jackson and Clair rushed over to help Chad up.

"They…they wouldn't stop coming," said Chad as he regained his breath, "I must have killed at least a dozen Kaijin on the way down."

It was then that they all heard the sound of several irate Kaijin echoing through the catacomb tunnels, as well as the resonating shouts of Draculaura, "This way! The third Star Piece is near!"

"Okay, we've got to go now!" insisted Avery. He then looked at Robecca, "how far to the emergency exit?"

"Not far," said Robecca, "but we've got to hurry if we're to get to it first."

But then the door of the Steam Vault swung shut with a loud screech and clang.

"Oh, no," said Robecca as she walked over to the door and tried to open it, but found to her dismay that it wouldn't budge, "oh no! Not now!"

"What not now?" asked Frankie, "just unlock it!"

"I can't!" said Robecca, "it's a Deadlock seal. My father must have installed it as a last resort."

"So, open it already!" said Dexter, "We've got to get out of here!"

"You can't unlock a Deadlock seal without the right key," said Robecca in an irate tone. She then sighed with reluctant acceptance, "on the other hand, while we can't get out, the enemy can't get in either."

But then everyone heard the sound of gears and cogs turning, then saw several gears and cogs turning on the door.

"My mistake, there is a timer on the Deadlock seal," said Robecca, "or…or maybe it's something else."

"Don't you know?" asked Apple, "this is your father's workshop, right?"

"He disappeared long ago," said Robecca, "leaving behind many secrets and unanswered questions." She and the others then heard more clockwork activating in the workshop, "and one of those secrets may be revealed soon."

But then everyone heard the sound of a fist pounding on the other side of the door.

"As much as I'm glad one of your father's secrets is coming to light," said Elissabat, "this is hardly the time or place for such things."

"You're right," said Robecca.

* * *

 _…Outside the Steam Vault…_

"Get this thing open!" shouted Draculaura as she pounded on the door. "The third Star piece is in there! I want it!"

"The workshop of Hexiciah Steam," said an amazed Irvin as Valentine tried to pull Draculaura from the door, "fascinating. Imagine what secrets lay inside."

"I'll be satisfied by getting the blasted diamond," said Valentine as he finally dragged Draculaura from the door.

"Get it open! I want that Star Piece!" shouted Draculaura.

"We're trying, mistress," said Hortensia as she and Isodore examined the door, "it's a special timer lock."

"Oh, right," said a modestly embarrassed Draculaura, "I forgot about the timer key that Robecca had. Oh well, we'll just wait for the right time to unlock the door."

There was a few seconds of awkward silence before Draculaura shrugged her shoulders, "that's enough waiting. Tear the door off its hinges!"

"Wait!" shouted Isodore as she put her ear on the door, "I can hear clockwork inside it, and much more. Something's happening."

* * *

 _…Inside the Steam Vault…_

"What's happening?!" exclaimed Lagoona as several clockwork devices containing rainbow-hued crystals appeared out of hidden compartments in the floor, walls and ceiling. The crystals were rotating and pulsating regularly in time with the increasingly complex clockwork of the workshop.

"I don't know," said Robecca as she and the others stared with confused amazement, "but whatever it is, my father made it. I trust whatever idea he had when he installed all of this."

"If you trust your father's ideas, then so do I," said Frankie, "Hexiciah Steam taught Victor Frankenstein, my grandfather." She then smiled, "you know, Robecca, in a way, we're kinda related."

"Oh? I never thought of it that way," said Robecca, "I guess in a way we are cousins."

It was then that the crystals began rotating and pulsating faster, while a high-pitched humming could be heard that rapidly rose to deafening levels.

"I sincerely hope your father was the genius you say he was!" shouted Cupid as she and the others covered their ears against the humming.

"I hope so too!" shouted Robecca.

* * *

 _…Outside the Steam Vault…_

"Now what?!" shouted Ian as he, Draculaura, Valentine, the Shadow Acolytes and Kaijin, covered their ears against the humming.

There was a blinding flash of white light and the door to the Steam Vault was gone. Beyond it lay a large, empty space in the rock that went down hundreds of feet.

"What…what happened?" asked Valentine, "where'd the workshop go?"

"Forget the workshop!" exclaimed Draculaura, "where's the Star Piece?! I can't sense it anymore!"

"It seems that Hexiciah Steam was indeed a genius," said Irvin.

Just then one of the Shadow Acolytes ran up to Irvin and whispered in his ear, causing Irvin to chuckle viciously.

"Either you just heard a fangastic joke," said Draculaura, "or you've received good news."

"Good news indeed," said Irvin, "we've captured not only Bloodgood, but several more of her students."

"Splendid!" said Valentine as he smiled with malice, "they'll be exposed to the enthralling vapors and become our obedient slaves."

"No, not Bloodgood," insisted Irvin, "she is the only one who knows the combinations to the school's record safe where she's keeping the first Star piece. We can pick the key locks given enough time, but only Bloodgood can truly open the safe. As for the other captives, among them Cleo de Nile, I'd like to ask her a few questions about her friends and where they went."

"You really think that ditzy diva Cleo knows where Frankie and the rest of those idiots went?" asked Valentine.

"Even if she doesn't, we'll find them," said Irvin, "The brats may have gotten away with the third Star Piece, but they had to have escaped somewhere. It doesn't matter where they went; somewhere on this world, elsewhere in this universe or even to another dimension. Obsidian's reach is vast. They will be found, and they will rue the day they thought they could escape."

* * *

 _…The Steam Vault…_

"Everyone alright?" asked Avery as he got up from the workshop floor.

"I think so," said Apple as she helped Maddie and Dexter stand, while Cupid and Tobias stood up together.

"Man, what was that?" asked Ian as he, Lance and Jessie got up.

"Robecca?" asked Clair as she and Sasha got back up, with Kivat hovering above them.

"I have no idea," said Robecca, "my father built this workshop long, long before he created me. Who knows what features he installed?"

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"You're right, Ghoulia," said Lagoona, "I don't hear any pounding on the door."

"You think something happened to the bad guys outside?" asked Maddie.

"I hope so," said Apple, "We left a lot of our friends upstairs."

"How's Raven?" asked Dexter.

"Still out cold," said Apple, "I wouldn't be surprised if she slept for a few days. That spell she used to recover the broach must have taken everything she had and more."

"It was worth it," said Avery as he held the broach in his hand.

"Oh My Ghoul!" exclaimed Frankie, "We've got to go upstairs right now!"

"Why? What's wrong now?" asked a slightly exasperated Gil..

"Hector!" said Frankie, "I completely forgot about him! He's still in the parking lot!"

"You and your car," muttered Clawdeen, "look, Frankie, Hector's fine. Last time I saw your car, there wasn't a scratch on him!"

"But he's up there! And so is Irvin, Valentine and Draculaura!" said Frankie, "they could have taken him by now! I've got to get up there and save Hector!" With that she ran to the workshop door.

"Frankie! It's just a car!" said an exasperated Cupid.

"He's not _just_ a car!" said Frankie as she glared at Cupid, "Hector's _my_ car!" with that she grabbed the handles on the door and pulled, her neck bolts sparking furiously as she put all her strength into the effort. Yet the door remained firmly shut.

Frankie stepped back, waited a few seconds before trying again. But then something within the door clicked and it began to slowly swing open.

"Frankie! We don't know if it's safe out there!" said Avery.

"For all we know, there's a whole army of Fangire and Orphnochs waiting to slaughter us!" said Ian.

"I don't care!" shouted Frankie as the door opened wide enough for her to squeeze through. But something stopped her just as she was at the threshold of the door, something that caused Frankie to scream in terror and run back towards Clawdeen and the others.

"Frankie, what is it?!" asked Clawdeen as she saw the look of horror on Frankie's face. Frankie merely sat in a chair, crouching in a fetal position as she pointed at the door as it continued to slowly open.

"I knew it! We're about to be overrun with Kaijin!" said Ian.

"If only it were," said Sasha as the door opened wide enough for everyone to see…

"Nothing," said Avery, Apple, Clawdeen and Ian waked to the threshold of the workshop and looked out on and endless expanse of gray fog, "there's nothing out there."

"No catacombs, no Kaijin," said Clawdeen. She then sniffed the air and frowned with worry and fear, "and no scents. Really, there's nothing out there!"

"Where on Earth are we?" asked Apple.

"I'll tell you where we're not," said Ian, "on Earth."

 ** _…The End Is Just The Beginning…_**


	10. Chapter 9: Regrouping

_Before we get started, I have to give a special shout-out to a guest reviewer whom left a Review so insultingly offensive, so utterly disgusting, I had to leave it up so everyone can read it to believe it._

 _I am now speaking to Doom Marine 54: You sir are no genius. You are a bully, a coward and a frog at that. I will not stop writing just because you are an ignorant coward who takes pleasure in insulting and blackmailing innocent people. Go ahead and drag my name through the mud, coward. I have my dignity and you can't take it away from me, no matter what filthy lies you spread._

 _Thank you for your patience, everyone, and now back to the story._

 **Chapter 9: Regrouping**

… _Monster High…_

"I commend you for your resilience and ingenuity, Ester Bloodgood," said Irvin as he longed himself in Bloodgood's chair in her office, while Valentine, Draculaura, four Orphnochs in human form and three Shadow Acolytes, stood in front of Bloodgood's desk, while Nightmare was hobbled nearby between two Fangire. Bloodgood's body was chained to one side, while her head had been placed on the desk in front of Irvin.

"That panic room you had holed yourself and several of your students in," said Irvin, "attempting to mount a resistance, we would never had found you, if it hadn't been for that trail of blood leading between the lockers. And another stroke of genius to you, concealing the safe in the catacombs."

He then indicated a holographic display were two more Shadow Acolytes stood in front of the safe, attempting lock picking spells, "we would never have found it if our dear friend, Draculaura, hadn't already known where it was."

"I'll bet you're quite pleased with yourself, Mr. Weis," said Bloodgood irately.

"As a matter of fact, I am," said Irvin smugly as he leaned back in Bloogood's chair and put his feet up on her desk, "I'm having a pretty good day, how about you?"

"I've had better," said Bloodgood as she winced at how close Irvin's feet were to her face, "now, I suppose you want me to divulge the combinations to the safe."

"You assume correctly, Ester," said Irvin, "do you mind if I use your first name?"

"I am your prisoner, you may call me whatever you wish," said Bloodgood, "but no matter what you say or do to me, you'll never break my spirit! Just as you'll never break the spirit of Monster High!"

"Yes, yes, bravo, Bloodgood," said Valentine as he clapped mockingly, "show us that indomitable daring do that you were so proud of when you were a complete person."

At that Bloodgood tried to shuffle her head around in order to face Valentine, making noises in frustration as all she did was wobble about and nearly topple onto her face.

"Oh, forgive me," said Irvin as he stood up, "just a moment." With that he turned Bloodgood's head around, "better?"

"Much, thank you," said Bloodgood dryly yet politely. She then glared at Valentine, "now, you listen to me, you uncouth, shameless, dishonorable excuse for a vampire! Monster High may be a place of tolerance, acceptance and diversity, but I find your presence in these halls to be a disgrace! And you, Draculaura! Your friends may still believe that there's good in you, and I'm proud that they still try to see the best in you, but all I see is a heart twisted by darkness! Shame on you!"

"Blah, blah, blah," said Draculaura mockingly, "can we get to the good part now?"

"Yes, the 'good' part," said Irvin in a slightly annoyed tone, "honestly, Draculaura, your many centuries of immortal life has left you culturally inept, at least when it comes to bantering." He then walked around the desk and bent down to look at Bloodgood in the face, "nevertheless, we should get down to business. I want the combinations to the safe."

"Even if you had them, they will do you no good," said Bloodgood, "not without the keys, which are in the hands of Frankie and her friends." She then smiled, "and from what I've heard, they're beyond your reach."

"For the moment," said Irvin, "it's only a matter of time before we find young Ms. Stein and her friends. And don't worry about the keys, there are other ways to open a lock."

The assembled villains and Bloodgood then saw on the hologram screen one of the dark magic users then facing the source of the image, giving Irvin the thumbs up.

"Oh, they're finished already," said Irvin as he smiled with wicked glee, "marvelous!" He then looked at Bloodgood, "now that that's taken care of, you will give me the combinations."

"I refuse," said Bloodgood flatly.

"Oh, let's start already!" said Draculaura impatiently, "I want to see her suffer!"

"Oh, no!" said Bloodgood in mock terror, "you're going to torture me! Oh, what will I do? I'm completely helpless!" She then glared irately at Draculaura, "young lady, I've seen and experienced torments and horrors that would give even your father nightmares. I've been tortured by the best in the business, so what can you do that'll break me? Not much I think!"

"You'll be tortured, alright," said Irvin, "just not the way you think," he then pressed an intercom button on the desk, "Bring them in! Now!"

"Summoning your inquisitors or whatever you in Obsidian use for torture?" asked Bloodgood.

"Oh, I'll the one doing the actual torturing," said Draculaura, "but not on you."

Before Bloodgood could inquire further, the door opened. In came Cleo and Deuce, both bound and flanked by a pair of human-formed Fangire.

"No," said Bloodgood, her eyes wide in shock.

"Headmistress!" said Cleo, "don't tell them anything!" only to be slapped across the face by Draculaura, whom then punched Deuce in the solar plexus when he shouted in protest.

"Both of you, shut up!" said Draculaura, "you'll make plenty of noise when the time is right."

"Don't you dare," said Bloodgood to Irvin, "leave them be!"

" _I_ won't lay a finger on them," said Irvin, "it's Draculaura you have to convince to stop."

"And she won't stop until Bloodgood gives up the combinations," said Valentine.

"Not going to join in on the fun, Val?" asked Deuce.

At that Valentine punched Deuce in the jaw hard enough to knock out two of his permanent teeth, earning a cry of dismay from Cleo.

"Call me Val again and I will," said Valentine as he wiped his hand on a handkerchief, "Draculaura, do your worst!"

"I prefer to save my worst for last, dearest," said Draculaura as she approached Cleo, "while starting small." Before anyone could react, Draculaura grabbed Cleo's left hand and by sheer strength alone, ripped off the nail of Cleo's left forefinger, earning a scream of agony from her.

"Oh, so sorry," said Draculaura, "I didn't mean to go so fast. I guess I don't know my own strength. I'll go slower with your next finger."

"Oh, I'm so gonna kill you, Draculaura!" said Deuce after spitting out a mouthful of blood, "I'm gonna take a stake and ram it in that rotten heart of yours! Then I'm gonna do the same thing to Val here!"

"Stop calling me that!" shouted Valentine as he pulled out a dagger and delivered a long cut to Deuce's face, then grabbed Deuce by his hair snakes, earning hisses of pain from the creatures, "I think I will join in on the torture by cutting these beauties off, one by one. And then I'll take the venom sacks from the heads and use that poison on some of the students."

"I hear that to be bitten by a Medusa serpent is a most excruciating experience," said Irvin, "the petrifying gaze is relatively painless, but their venom is almost unbearable. I mean, to be slowly turned to stone as the venom courses through your veins," he then shuddered, "simply nasty."

"And then I'll go to work on Cleo again," said Draculaura as she got behind Cleo and sharply pulled her hair back, earning another cry of pain from her, "I think I'll peel her face off, while keeping her eyes open. Yes, I'll flay the skin from her face in front of a mirror so she can watch as her beauty is slowly destroyed."

"And I'll make you watch as well," said Valentine to Deuce, "and then, maybe I'll take a spike and gouge out Nightmare's eyes."

That earned a scream of terror from Nightmare, whom tried to get away from her Kaijin guards, yet their hold was too strong.

"Or maybe we'll just hang your students, the ones we don't need as slaves," said Irvin, "yes, we can erect gallows on the school grounds, right in front of the flagpole."

"NO!" shouted Bloodgood, "I'll give you the combinations! Just don't hurt anyone anymore!"

"Headmistress! No!" said Cleo, "don't let them have the necklace!"

"It's _my_ necklace, Cleo!" said Draculaura, "and I'll have it back!" she then glared at Bloodgood, "now give me the combinations, or so help me, you'll watch your precious students suffer until they beg for death!"

"Alright, you win," said Bloodgood in a defeated tone, "you'd better write this down."

"I'm waiting," said Draculaura as Irvin handed her a pen and pad of paper.

"First combination," said Bloodgood, "35 left, 7 right, 20 left."

"Go on," said Draculaura as she wrote the combination down.

"Second combination," said Bloodgood, "19 right, 44 left, 57 right, 12 left. Final combination, 31 right, 6 left, 59 right, 28 left, 17 right, 2 left, then back to 0."

Draculaura finished writing, ripped the page off of the pad, "be it on your head if these don't work!" said Draculaura. She then rushed out of the room so fast, the air displacement was enough to nearly knock everyone over.

"She really wants that necklace," said Valentine.

"Ya' think?" asked Deuce as he glared hatefully at Valentine behind his sunglasses.

Just then the holographic image showed Draculaura arriving at the safe. She imputed the combinations, threw open the safe door, ran inside and ten seconds later, emerged with the necklace clutched to her heart, a look of rapturous joy on her face.

"And now we have two," said Valentine as he eyed the diamond ring on his hand, "two Star Pieces out of nine."

"And the third one is missing in action," said Irvin as he looked at Cleo and Deuce, "your friends vanished with it. I want to know where they are."

"I don't know," sobbed Cleo as she clutched at her mangled finger, "and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"Oh, but you will, Cleo," said Draculaura as she walked back in, the necklace back around her neck, "you think having a fingernail ripped off hurts, you don't know what pain is."

"I've experienced worse," said Cleo, "being entombed alive for thousands of years, the sheer boredom was torture enough. So go ahead and inflict whatever agonies your sick mind can think of, Draculaura, it doesn't matter. You'll only make things worse. When my father finds out what you did to me, he'll put such a curse on you, you'll be begging for death!"

"Haven't I made it clear by now?" asked Irvin impatiently, "no one is coming to help you! Not your parents, not the authorities, no one!"

"Why!?" demanded Bloodgood, "why is no help coming? How have you managed to keep the authorities out of this disgusting affair?"

"And how'd you keep our families out of it?" asked Deuce.

"Well?" asked Irvin to Valentine, "you want to tell them?"

"They might as well know," said Valentine, "yes, I'll tell them. Or, better yet, I'll show them."

"Oh, don't, darling," said an outraged Draculaura, "I can't stand her!"

"If she annoys you so much, Draculaura, imagine how Bloodgood and your former friends will react," said Valentine as he pulled out his iCoffin and sent out a text. A few seconds later he got a response, "oh, she's here already. Fangtastic!"

At that Irvin, Valentine and Draculaura walked out of the office, with the Kaijin guards frog marched Cleo and Deuce out of the office, while a Shadow Acolyte carried Bloodgood's head. They exited the school's front door and walked to the parking lot.

"Just what game are you playing with us now, Draculaura?" demanded Cleo, "and…why are you taking us to Frankie's car?"

"And who's that trying to steal it?" asked Deuce as he saw a girl of about 17 years with light green skin, long wavy deep blue and purple hair, and eyelashes that resembled small leaves. She had lilac eyes with a green tone to them, wearing a dress, shoes and accessories with a plant theme, while in her hair was a large, purple and green flower. She was sitting in the front seat of Hector, trying a variety of skeleton keys on the ignition.

"Ammit devour my soul!" exclaimed Cleo, "it…it can't be!"

"Cleo, who is this?" asked Bloodgood.

It was then that the ghoul attempting to start Hector looked up, "Oh my gosh!" said the surprised and delighted girl in a Valley Girl accent. She then got out of the car, "Cleo? Cleo de Nile?" She then walked over to Cleo, "it is you!" with that she gave Cleo a hug, "it's been so long! How've you been?"

"Friend of yours, Cleo?" asked Deuce.

"This no friend of mine, Deuce," said Cleo irately as she shrugged the girl away from her.

"Of course we're friends, Cleo," said the girl, "we have such history, and we're always sharing things," she then looked at Deuce, "and is this your boyfriend? What a hunk? Mind if I borrow him for a bit? I just want to take some selfies." With that she placed an arm around Deuce, pulled out her iCoffin and took several photos.

"Wait a moment," said Bloodgood. She then glared at Irvin, "you didn't! It's not time for the Corpse Flower to bloom!"

"Oh, Irvin arranged it so that could come out of the Corpse Flower and stay out," said the girl as she kept posing around Deuce, "Oh, sorry, I'm Amanita Nightshade. Cleo and I go way, way back."

"She was a brief, brief, tomb mate of mine," said Cleo in a tone that implied that she found the very idea of having anything to do with the girl distasteful, "it was a living nightmare."

"Oh, it wasn't so bad, Cleo," said Amanita as she now walked over and began taking pictures of her and Cleo, "your family was like so kind to take me in, of course, who wouldn't want a beauty of my caliber as a houseguest? And you were so kind to let me borrow your things!"

"You never returned anything, you obnoxious weed!" snapped Cleo, "you practically moved in and took over! And then when fate showed just a hint of good fortune for my family and an opening appeared in the tomb, you left to get help, and you never came back!"

"Well, I'm here now," said Amanita, "your welcome! Oh, is that your car there? The '71 Cadillac Eldorado?"

"No, that belongs to my friend, Frankie," said Cleo.

"Oh," said Amanita, "Well, when you see her, tell her that I'm like only borrowing it for a bit. Oh, and Draculaura! I so love that necklace! I'm just gonna borrow it, okay?" With that she walked towards Draculaura and reached for the necklace.

"Touch this and you lose your hand!" snapped Draculaura.

"Okay! Okay! Geez, don't mess yourself," said Amanita as she backed away.

"You're not supposed to be here, young lady!" said Bloodgood irately, "The Corpse Flower only blooms for a few days every 1,300 years!"

"I know, it's like a total bummer," said Amanita, "only a few days to live it up and be worshiped, only to go back to sleep in that stuffy flower for thirteen centuries, such a drag.

"But then Irvin and his shadowy magic users, they like totally opened the Corpse Flower and then enchanted it so I don't ever need to go back into it again. In fact," she then indicated the blossom in her hair, "I can carry it with me wherever I go. I'm finally my own monster!"

"You forgot about the condition of your emancipation, my dear," said Irvin.

"What condition?" asked Cleo, "Amanita, you're not working for Obsidian, are you?"

"I wouldn't call it work, per se," said Amanita, "they like did me a favor, a really big one, and I like do them a favor."

"And what favor would that be?" asked Bloodgood.

"Oh, nothing big," said Amanita, "I like use this item I borrowed from a really, really long time ago and use it to keep these people from interfering in Obsidian's business, or something like that."

"Just what you do, Val?" asked Deuce.

At that Valentine punched Deuce in the solar plexus again, "stop calling me that! And for your information, what good it'll do you, Amanita has an item from Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" asked Bloodgood and Cleo at the same time.

"Didn't tell you when we were tomb mates, Cleo?" asked Amanita, "I'm like totally from Atlantis. I sprouted in this wizard's garden, he like totally made me to be his girlfriend or something, but I said 'no way, old man!' Like I was gonna get married to some geezer, just because he knows a few magic tricks.

"Instead, I went out among the Atlantians and they totally threw themselves at my feet because I was so gorgeous! To them I was like the most beautiful ghoul ever! But after a while, they like totally stopped worshiping me. I was all 'oh, heck no! If you won't worship me, then you won't worship anything ever again!'"

"Oh for crying out loud," muttered Irvin impatiently, "she destroyed Atlantis and was sealed into the Corpse Flower for her sins, only able to walk freely every 1,300 years."

"Until now that is," said Valentine, "and wouldn't you know it, Amanita knew where to find a hidden cache of Atlantien items."

"And one of them allows its users to implant suggestions into the minds of multiple people," said Draculaura, "a group geass if you will."

"All I have to do is wear this item while sending out a group email that has a video attachment," said Amantia, "I am so loving technology. Anyway, anyone who sees the video will be hit by the geass and has to do whatever I want."

"It's far more complicated than that," said Irvin, "the item in question wasn't in the best condition when Amanita found it for us."

"It was so rusty and had so much icky stuff over it!" said a disgusted Amanita, "I mean, barf me out! Gag me with a spoon! But it worked. I got all those people to stay out of Obsidian's business."

"Well, if you had such a powerful item," said Cleo, "why didn't you use it to make the whole world fall on their knees and worship you? Fulfill that sick fantasy of yours."

"Because I don't have it anymore, obviously," said Amanita, "it like totally crumbled to dust after I used it to send out the email geass."

"It wouldn't have worked for her that way even if it hadn't fallen apart," said Irvin, "the geass item was too primitive to be used for complicated commands."

"'Stay away,' simple enough," said Valentine, "but 'worship me like a goddess?' no. And don't ask why it worked that way, magic is fickle sometimes."

"I know, total bummer," said Amanita, "but the email geass worked. Now every time the authorities or one of the parents even thinks about coming to help at Monster High, they'll forget about it and go about their business. I just wish I could have made them think of me all the time, 24/7.

"But you know, there's still like a few Atlantian items out there. I've got this deal with Obsidian. They'll find some of those Atlantian items for me and I'll use them to help Obsidian like find the other Star Pieces. And once they've got all nine, I'll like totally have this world to myself! I'll have everyone worship me like the divine beauty that I am!"

"You festering weed!" shouted Cleo, "I thought you were a selfish, greedy twit who always borrows without asking without returning, but you are evil!"

"How can you do this, Amanita?" asked Bloodgood, "how can you serve these heartless villains? Have you no sense of decency? Have you no sense of shame?"

"Since when has shame and decency gotten me what I wanted?" asked Amanita, "everything would be so much better if everyone were to like totally worship me, and they will. But I'm in no hurry. And since Obsidian doesn't need me for anything right now, I'm totally going shopping! I've got like almost 1,300 years of living to catch up with!"

With that she skipped back over to Hector, leapt behind the wheel, selected another skeleton key and successfully started the car, "Laters!" said Amanita happily as she drove off.

At that, Draculaura let out a sigh of relief, "I have to admit, a little of her goes a long way."

"I can't believe you recruited the likes of Amanita Nightshade," said Cleo in a dismayed tone.

"I personally can't believe she agreed to work for us," said Valentine, "a narcissistic twit like her, I'm surprised she didn't try to take over."

"She's too self-absorbed to even try," said Irvin, "and for that matter…wait…what?!" he exclaimed as he felt her pockets, "that weed! She took my wallet!"

"No, she borrowed it," said Valentine, while Draculaura let out a delighted laugh.

"Dude, I'd check your pockets too," said Deuce.

"Oh come now," said Valentine, "she wouldn't…" he then felt his pockets, "oh, that weed! She took _my_ wallet!"

"At least she didn't take my wallet," said Draculaura. But then she realized something was missing, "my purse! She took it! I'll drown her in pesticide!"

"Don't you mean herbicide?" asked Cleo.

"Shut up!" shouted Draculaura. She then glared at the Kaijin guards, "Take her back inside and lock her in the dungeons!"

"Take them all to the dungeons," said Irvin, "we'll go to work on them later," he then pulled out his cell phone, "after I call my bank and credit card companies."

"We all should," said Valentine, "before that idiot reaches the maul."

* * *

 _…The Steam Vault…_

Raven woke up in a strange bedroom that clearly had been decorated by someone else. Just as she was about to get out of bed, the door opened and in came Lagoona, carrying a vase of flowers. Lagoona then saw Raven was awake and dropped the vase out of surprise.

Reacting on instinct, Raven caught the vase with her magic and levitated it over to a nearby table. "Wow, that was close," said Raven as she smiled nonchalantly.

"You're awake!" said Lagoona.

"Well, of course I'm awake," said Raven, "at least I think I'm awake. I could be dreaming for all I know."

But Lagoona wasn't there, as she dashed out of the room, "Hey! Everyone! Raven's awake!"

Seconds later the room was stormed by Apple, Maddie, Avery, Cupid, Tobias, Dexter, Frankie, Lagoona and Clawdeen, all shouting their joy that Raven was among the waking world again.

But it was too much for Raven, the awful din from her friends. "QUIET!" shouted Raven irately as she clenched her fists and unleashed a wave of her magic, freezing everyone in the room in time.

"Oh, I forgot I could do that," said Raven sheepishly. She then waved her hands in a complicated gesture, ending the time-stopping spell and causing Apple, Maddie, Avery, Dexter, Cupid, Tobias, Frankie, Lagoona and Clawdeen to start shouting again.

"Everyone! Stop! Please!" shouted Raven, causing Apple and the others to calm down, "I'm alright, seriously."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Apple, "that spell you used to get the broach was almost too much for you."

"Oh, yeah, the broach!" said Raven, "What happened? Is it safe?"

"Safe as a caterpillar in a cocoon," said Maddie as she took off her hat and pulled out the broach, the diamond that was the third Star piece sparkling in the room light.

"Well, that's one question solved," said Raven, "and now for a lot more. Where am I? How'd I get here?" she then realized she was wearing a purple nightgown, "and where are my clothes?"

"First, We're in the Steam Vault," said Frankie. "second, we brought you here after you passed out from recovering the broach."

"And your clothes are right here," said Cupid as she indicated a nearby dresser, "but…"

"We've got a lot more to tell you, Raven," said Dexter.

"First of all, it's been two days since you passed out," said Avery.

"Two days!?" exclaimed Raven, "are you kidding?!" She then frowned, "no wonder I'm so hungry."

"Well, we can fix up breakfast in a jiffy," said Apple, "but first you need to get dressed," she then glared at Avery and the other boys, "get out."

"Everyone, get out," said Frankie, "give the poor ghoul some privacy."

"I don't need that much privacy," said Raven. She then summoned a very thick privacy screen and stepped behind it, while Cupid retrieved her clothes, "so, what happened after I passed out?"

"Oh, nothing much," said a nervous Dexter as he turned around out of respect, "just…"

"Obsidian invaded Monster High and captured the school," said Avery, "we fought as best we could, but it wasn't enough."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Raven. With a flash of magic, the screen vanished, revealing a fully dressed Raven, "tell me everything!"

And so Avery, Dexter, Apple, Frankie and the others informed Raven of all that had happened, right up to when they had reopened the workshop door and discovered the endless expanse of gray fog outside.

"As far as we can tell," said Clawdeen as they left the room and entered the main workshop, "We're floating in some kind of limbo, or something like that."

Raven then heard Ghoulia moan something. She saw Ghoulia sitting in front of her laptop on a table. Nearby was Ian, Lance, Jessie, Chad and Preston, working at a makeshift kitchen. Sitting further away was Sasha, Clair and Elisabat, while Robecca was standing in front of a chalkboard, writing down some elaborate calculations.

"I know, it's more complicated than that," said Frankie to Ghoulia.

"We've become disconnected from our own universe," said Robecca as she finished her calculations and turned to face the group, "The Steam Vault is now its own pocket dimension."

"Then what is that gray stuff outside the door if not limbo?" asked Lagoona.

"It is limbo," said Robecca, "we're in normal space and time, just a space and time of our own."

"I don't get it," said Raven.

"It's quite simple," said Robecca. She then began a highly complex explanation of advanced quantum physics that left Raven, severely dumbfounded.

"Robecca, stop," said Jackson as he stood up and walked over, "you're just confusing her." He then looked at Raven, "okay, have you seen Doctor Who?"

"Uh…no," said Raven.

"Well, have you read 'A Wrinkle in Time?" asked Jackson.

"Uh…no," said Raven.

"Have any of you seen any Star Trek?" asked Jackson.

"Uh…not much," said Raven.

"For crying out loud," said an exasperated Jackson, "okay, just accept that we're in our own dimension and we're cut off from the rest of normal reality. Can you do that?"

"I…think so," said Raven.

"Great, let's move on," said Jackson. He then looked at Robecca, "tell her about your dad's message."

"Oh, yes, of course," said Robecca eagerly. She then went to another table, where a cylinder phonograph stood. Robecca picked up and placed a metal cylinder into the player, cranked the handle and played it, from which could be heard the voice of Hexiciah Steam.

' _My dearest daughter,_

' _If you are hearing this, then three things have happened in conjuncture. First, I am no longer with you for some reason or another. For whatever reason that is, know that I would never willingly leave you to face the world alone, not without just cause. Hopefully, you will have made many friends whom have come to know and love you as I have._

 _'Second, the broach containing a piece of The Star of Rosskarn has been discovered and returned to our reality. If you know what The Star of Rosskarn already is, congratulations on deciphering the symbols in the chamber. If you need explaining, I have prepared a second cylinder with additional information.'_

At that Robecca stopped the cylinder, "the second cylinder didn't tell us much more than what we already knew, except that the last descendants of Rosskarn helped found Monster High."

"That and some clues on how to find the remaining Star pieces," said Frankie, "but that can wait."

Robecca then resumed the recording of her father.

 _'Third, and this is a fact that I hope may never happen, is that Monster High has fallen to a hostile force bent on reassembling The Star of Rosskarn. By now you are aware that The Star is far too powerful to fall into anyone's hands. For good or evil, The Star must never be reassembled._

 _'And it is for that reason that you, my dearest Robecca, must find the remaining Star pieces and keep them safe. I've installed in my workshop a dimensional mechanism that will allow you and any friends and allies you've made to escape the hostile forces pursuing you and the Star pieces. You'll find instructions on how to use my workshop as a base of operations in your search.'_

Robecca paused the cylinder again, "there are hidden compartments all over the workshop. Not only did we find instructions, but also food and water stores that are preserved."

"Hence breakfast," said Ian as he and the others finished preparing a tray of bacon, eggs, toast and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

"Can you believe it, Raven?" asked Apple as she picked up an apple from a nearby fruit bowl and bit into it, "seriously, this apple has been in storage for who knows how many decades, and it's still as fresh as if it were picked this morning."

"Some kind of preservation spell or something like that," said Dexter, "there's even a spell for recycling water, so we don't have to worry about running out any time soon."

"We even managed to set up a makeshift laundry room and several bathrooms," said Lagoona, "Gil's fixing one of the pipes that sprung a leak."

"We've got pretty much everything we need to survive," said Frankie, she then sighed and sat down, "if only I managed to save Hector."

"Will you stop it with your car already, Frankie?" asked Clawdeen, "there's no way you could have gone back for it! And where would you have put it in The Steam Vault?"

"I could have at least put Hector somewhere safe!" said Frankie irately, "by now he's probably being driven by Draculaura, or Valentine, or Irvin, or someone from Obsidian, I just know it!"

"Your car's fine, Frankie," said Robecca. She then looked at Raven, "the rest of the cylinder is just my father wishing me all the luck and love in the world, and another warning about The Star; keep the pieces safe, don't put them together and not to underestimate the power of the individual pieces."

"Gotcha," said Raven as Jessie brought the breakfast tray over and she began eating. "So, what's next?"

"Next, we inform you of our overall objectives," said Avery. He then indicated a second blackboard that had several lines written on it.

 **1: Establish contact with The Base in Ever After**

 **2: Activate Hexiciah Steam's portal device**

 **2.5: Return to the world of Monster High**

 **3: Determine how many students escaped, find and bring to safety**

 **4: Determine how many students were captured, find and rescue**

 **5: Activate Hexiciah Steam's device for finding other Star pieces**

 **6: Save Draculaura (without killing her)**

 **7: Defeat Obsidian.**

"Well, you guys are pretty well organized," said Raven, "so, how are we on getting in touch with The Base?"

"Not very well, I'm afraid," said Robecca as she walked over to the devices that were the dimensional portal generator and the dimensional communication device used to call The Base earlier, "the mechanism used to transport The Steam Vault out of normal time and space, it caused a massive surge of energy throughout the workshop, damaging a lot of equipment. Most of the damage was done to nonessential items and old experiments of my father."

"But the portal and communicator were damaged the most," said Jackson, "we had to cannibalize parts from the portal device to fix the communicator, and we're still missing a few parts. Clawdia's looking in the storage areas for them."

"But if Hexiciah Steam was the genius we think he was," said Avery, "we'll be able to use what's left of the portal device and connect it to the workshop door. From there, we'll be able to travel anywhere in any dimension we wish."

At that Ghoulia moaned in an exasperated manner.

"Yeah, 'Assuming we can figure out the darn things,'" said Frankie.

"My father, his handwriting tended to suffer on his technical drawings," said Robecca. "I can read his journals and schematics easily enough. But he wrote a lot of notes on those schematics, but they're in really awkward places."

"Here, look," said Dexter as he brought over a rolled sheet of paper and displayed it for Raven. The paper had the designs for the dimensional communication device, while all around the lines and figures were additional writings that Raven could barely read.

"And I thought my handwriting was bad," said Raven as she summoned her spell notebook and opened it to a page.

"Your penmanship isn't that bad," said Apple as she looked at the page, "it's just…I can't understand the language."

"It's magical shorthand," said Raven as she closed the book, "okay, so, what happens if we can't get the communicator working again?"

"We have to," said Avery, "we're sunk if we can't get in touch with The Base."

"We were hoping to interface with The Base's computer in order to better search for the remaining Star pieces," said Robecca.

"And we need a known dimension as a reference point," said Jackson, "without a reference point, the portal device, once connected to the door, will open to a random world and keep opening to random worlds. We could spend the rest of our lives opening and closing the door and never get back to our home dimension."

"And that would be bad," said Lagoona.

"I know it's bad," said Raven, "can I help somehow?"

"Maybe," said Robecca, "can your magic manufacture the part we need?"

"I think so," said Raven, "can you describe it for me?"

"I need a 35mm steam gage assembly with a ratio of +5," said Robecca.

"All of Hexiciah's gizmos and gadgets are steam powered with some magical enhancements," said Frankie, "only some of our stuff runs on electricity. Speaking of which, I'm feeling a little drained."

"Good thing we've got a small gym here," said Ian as he went to a nearby elliptical machine that had several wires running from it to a device that resembled a large storage battery, said device having two power cables running from electrodes. Ian got on the machine and began exercising, while Frankie connected the cables to her neck bolts.

"Our own mini-generator," said Robecca, "but I'll always prefer steam. And speaking of which," she then looked at Raven, "can you make a 35mm steam gage assembly with a ratio of +5?"

"Uh…can I see what one looks like?" asked Raven.

"Well, if I had one to show you, I wouldn't need you to make one, would I?" asked an irate Robecca.

"That's no excuse for being rude," said Clawdia as she walked into the area, carrying a small mechanical part the size of a camera.

"You found it!" said Robecca as she hurried over and took the part from Clawdia. Robecca then hurried over to the communication device and began installing it.

"Where was it?" asked Frankie.

"It fell down the tool shelf," said Clawdia.

"Doesn't matter," said Robecca as she continued to work on the communication device, "it's only a matter of time before I have the machine calibrated and ready to call Ever After."

"In that case," said Sasha as she and Clair stood up, "I believe I have the solution to another problem."

"And which one is that?" asked Gil.

"The one where I can't transform into Kiva," said Clair, "but we think we've got it figured out."

"It's so simple, it's actually kinda stupid," said Kivat, "Clair and I, we're too different."

"Well that's calling the kettle black," said Lance.

"He means that we're from different dimensions," said Clair, "there's a whole lot of technical explanations, something about Kivat's universe having slightly different laws of physics and magic or something like that."

"The point," said Sasha, "is while Clair has the power of Kiva, she cannot activate it with Kivat, not our Kivat, that is."

"What does that mean?" asked Frankie.

"It means that whereas Siegfried transferred his power to Clair," said Kivat, "I need to transfer my power to another. Someone from Clair's world needs to become like me, a Kivat."

"I thought you were Kivat," said Jackson.

"I am," said Kivat, "but my people are also called Kivat. We are Kivat."

"Well, who's going to receive your power?" asked Raven, "and what will that do to you?"

"Most likely drain me out of existence," said Kivat, "which I'm okay with. And the only one capable of receiving my power is a vampire."

"Where are we going to get another vampire?" asked Clawdeen.

"Forget that, we can't let Kivat sacrifice himself like this!" exclaimed Cupid.

"Well, it's not like I'll die," said Kivat, "I'll just merge with our volunteer vampire. I'll live on in her."

"Her who?" asked Elissabat as she walked into the room, rubbing a town against her wet hair, "Oh, Gill and Clawd fixed the plumbing."

"You, oh queen of vampires," said Kivat as he hovered around Elissabat, "you'll inherit my powers and help Clair fight as Kiva."

"Yes, yes, of course! Elissabat!" said Raven.

"Uh…what are you talking about?" asked Elissabat

"Not only are you the only available vampire," said Sasha, "you share the same immortal blood type as Kivat here, which is important, don't ask me why. And most of all, you are in possession of an incredibly powerful magical artifact."

"The Vampire's Heart," said Frankie.

"Its power will absorb my power which will become your power," said Kivat.

"This old thing?" asked Elissabat as she looked down as the glowing gem around her neck, "I've never actually used it for anything. By right and tradition, I am the queen of the vampires. But, seriously, I'm an actress, not a fighter."

"You're exactly who we need," said Sasha, "so suck it up!"

"We need your help if we're going to defeat Obsidian," said Clair, "we need Kiva to fight the Fangire." She then looked at Chad, "no offense."

"None taken," said Chad, "I mean, I've done okay against Fangire, and I'm really good at taking out Orphnochs, but two Riders are better than one."

"So, what do you say, Elissabat?" asked Sasha, "ready to stand up and help fight the good fight?"

"I…if it's for Draculaura, then yes," said a hesitant at first, but then confident Elissabat, "I'll do it."

"Smashing!" said a widely smiling Sasha, "Oh, we'll need Frankie, Lagoona and Clawdeen as well."

"To do what?" asked Frankie as she, Lagoona and Clawdeen walked up to Sasha, Clair and Elissabat.

"To join your powers with Clair's when she transforms," said Sasha, "when she's Kiva, she'll be able to call on your powers to better fight The Fangire. In short, you'll become the weapons of Kiva."

"Over my dead body!" snapped Clawd as he and Gil walked into the room, "no way my sister is going to…do…whatever you want her to do!"

"I don't know what you want Lagoona to do either," said Gil, "but I don't like it!"

"It's not that big a deal," said Kivat, "basically, when Clair, as Kiva, has need of a special weapon when fighting, she'll be able to summon one of her friends. For example, if Kiva needs a sword, she'll summon Clawdeen and she'll turn into a sword. If Lagoona is needed, she'll turn into a gun, while Frankie will turn into a war hammer."

"You want us to turn into weapons?" asked a slightly uncomfortable Lagoona, while Clawdeen and Frankie looked equally uncomfortable.

"Not just weapons, supernatural weapons," said Sasha, "Clawdeen, as the Garuru Saber, you'll endow Clair with the natural speed and cunning of a werewolf, not to mention as a sword, you'll be able to cut apart Fangire with the natural edge of your own claws. You'll also have a sonic wolf howl that can knock Fangire off their feet."

"Lagoona, you'll also endow Clair with the grace and agility of a sea monster. You'll also have the power to manipulate water and weather to a certain extent, while as the Bassha Magnum, you'll shoot water bullets that can punch through solid steel.

"As for your, Frankie, you'll be able to call upon the superior strength of your father, as well as your own natural electrical abilities. As the Dogga Hammer, you can call down lightning and smash Fangire into dust."

"Really?" asked an impressed Frankie, "wow, that actually sounds cool."

"More than cool, wicked cool," said Lagoona.

"Creeptastic," said Clawdeen, "where do we start?"

"You don't!" said Clawd irately, "no way you're turning into some kind of sword!"

"And I don't want you to turn into a gun, Lagoona," said Gil, "bad enough we're all in this horrible mess."

"Yes, we are in a horrible mess!" said Sasha, "and that mess will only get worse. But with this, that mess will get cleaned up a lot sooner, possibly with fewer losses of innocent lives."

"The sooner I'm on my feet as Kiva," said Clair, "The sooner I'll be able to fight the Fangire and help stop Obsidian. I've been a dead weight long enough."

"You were never a dead weight," said Jackson, "but…if this is how you'll be able to attack the darkness, then I'm behind you, all the way."

"And the sooner Clair's gotten her powers up and running," said Sasha, "I can get to work on figuring out your powers."

"Oh, right, I did use fire that one time," said Jackson, "then I'm all for it."

"This is what I need to do, Gil," said Lagoona, "it's what we all need to do."

"Well, if it's what's needed to be done, then I'm with you," said Gil.

"Well, I'm not!" said Clawd, "No way is Clawdeen doing this!"

"Oh, and you're going to stop me?" asked Clawdeen as she put her hands on her hips.

"Darn right I'll stop you!" growled Clawd, "it's bad enough we're separated from our home, our family and friends, from Howleen for crying out loud! I've lost Draculaura, no way am I losing my sister!"

"Just calm down, man," said Dexter, "you're so upset, you can't think straight."

"I am thinking straight!" exclaimed Clawd, "As Clawdeen's big brother, I forbid her from taking part in this…this…whatever it is!"

"You're forbidding me!?" growled Clawdeen as she walked up to Clawd.

"Damn right!" growled Clawd, "I'm the eldest member of the pack present, I'm the Alpha and you will do as I say!"

"But you're not the eldest," said Clawdia as she stood between Clawd and Clawdia, "I am, which makes _me_ the Alpha!"

"That's right, she is the eldest sibling of the litter," said Lagoona.

"I…uh…" said a dumbstruck Clawd. He finally pulled himself together, "alright, Clawdia. You're the Alpha. Now please tell Clawdeen she can't do this."

"Clawdeen, you've got my blessing," said Clawdia.

"What?!" asked a once again dumbfounded Clawd.

"These are strange times we're living in, little brother," said Clawdia, "we all need to do extraordinary things if we're going to overcome the forces of darkness." She then looked at Sasha, "I may not be the fastest or strongest werewolf, but I'm pretty smart. If my brains can help defeat Obsidian, then so can Clawdeen's talents."

"Thanks, big sis!" said Clawdeen as she hugged Clawdia.

"But…but…" said Clawd.

"I think you need another project," said Avery.

"I've got a few of my father's inventions you can take apart, clean and put back together," said Robecca.

"Huh…yeah…that sounds…okay," said Clawd.

"He's really messed up," said Raven as Robecca lead Clawd over to a workbench that had several random gadgets.

"His heart is still broken," said Cupid, "what Draculaura did may have shattered his heart permanently."

"All the more reason to free Draculaura from Valentine's control," said Sasha, "and for that, we'll need all the heroes and Riders we can get." She then looked at Clair and Elissabat, "are you two ready?"

"Yes," said Elissabat.

"As I'll ever be," said Clair.

"And you three," said Sasha to Frankie, Lagoona and Clawdeen, "are you ready to have your lives changed?"

"I think our lives are already permanently changed," said Frankie, "but yeah, we're ready." At that Lagoona and Clawdeen nodded in agreement.

"I'm ready too," said Kivat. He looked at Sasha, "you'll tell Siegfried's family, right?"

"You have my word," said Sahsa.

"Alright then!" said Kivat, "just so you guys know, it's been great meeting you all! Alright, one last time! _Kivat Ikuze!"_ With that he flew headlong at Elissabat, diving and merging into The Vampire's Heart.

Elissabat gave a surprised gasp as a golden aura surrounded her body, while The Vampire's Heart glowed brightly. With a flash of red and gold light, Elissabat vanished and in her place was a golden and dark purple metal bat the exact shape and size as Kivat.

"Elissabat? Is…is that you?" asked Frankie.

"I think so," said the metal bat, "hang on, I'm going to change back," with another flash of red and gold light, Elissabat returned to her normal humanoid form, "well, that was, interesting."

"How was it? Do you feel any different?" asked Lagoona.

"Not really," said Elissabat in a thoughtful manner, "I think I felt a bit heavier than I am when I usually turn into a bat, but…" that's as far as Elissabat got before The Vampire's heart glowed brightly again, shooting out three gold beams of energy that hit Frankie, Lagoona and Clawdeen, earning gasps of surprise from them.

"Lagoona!" shouted Gil as the beams stopped.

"I'm alright, Gil," said Lagoona, "at least I think I do."

"I don't feel any different," said Clawdeen.

"Me neither," said Frankie, "except…I feel this…connection, to Elissabat and Clair."

"I feel it too!" said Clawdeen.

"And I feel connected to you two ghouls as well!" said Lagoona.

"I feel that connection too!" said Clawdeen, while Frankie nodded.

"I feel connected to all four of you," said Clair.

"But did it work?" asked Jessie, "can you transform now?"

"Only one way to find out," said Clair. She then looked at Elissabat, "I'm ready to try if you are."

"Then let's do it!" said Elissabat. With a flash of red and gold light, she assumed her metal bat form, " _Elissabat Ikuze_!" She then flew over to Clair, whom caught her in her left hand.

" _Gabut_!" shouted Elissabat as she bit into Clair's right hand.

A high pitched noise could be heard as a stain glass pattern appeared from Clair's hand, running up her arm, neck and onto her face, while ethereal chains encircled her waist, materializing into the Kiva Belt.

"Henshin!" said Clair as she clicked Elissabat into place onto her belt.

Clair's body was then covered with shimmering, metallic energy that shattered, revealing her as Kiva.

"Are you…are you alright?" Chad asked cautiously, while Frankie, Raven and the others looked on with equal anticipation.

Clair, Kiva, answered by running towards the wall of the workshop, ran up it, across the ceiling and down the other wall. She then performed several back flips, followed by a series of martial arts moves that ended with landing on her feet in front of Chad. With another shimmer of metallic energy as Elissabat detached from the belt, Clair returned to normal and smiled widely, "yeah, I think I'm alright."

"We're more than alright, my friends!" said Robecca as she stood up from the communications device, "I've got The Base on the line! I was only able to establish contact for a moment before I lost the signal, but I'll get it back soon!"

At that Ghoulia moaned happily as she stood up from her laptop.

"She says she got the dimensional data from Ever After!" said Clawdeen.

"That means we'll soon be able to use the front door device to go back to our world!" said Lagoona.

"And with that, we'll finally be able to go on the offensive," said Avery.

"Look out, Obsidian, we're coming for you," said Raven.

"Next stop, back to Monster High!" said Frankie.

 ** _…The End Is Just The Beginning…_**


	11. Chapter 10: Striking Back

**Chapter 10: Striking Back**

 _…The Steam Vault…_

"Okay, so how does this work?" asked Raven as she and the others watched Robecca, Ghoulia and Jackson hook up a series of cables from the workshop door to one of Hexiciah Steam's gadgets, while more cables connected to Ghoulia's laptop.

"Now that we have Ever After as a point of reference in the Multi-Verse," said Jackson, "we can use Hexiciah's inventions and modern technology to locate and establish a wormhole back to our world."

"It's more complicated than that," said Robecca, "but in essence, yes."

"Will it take us back to Monster High?" asked Clawdeen.

"In theory, yes," said Robecca, "though there is a significant margin of error to take into account."

"How significant?" asked Avery.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"'Very significant,'" Frankie translated.

"You have to understand that time and space aren't always in sync," said Jackson, "ever notice when you're looking at your watch, a digital watch, the second counter seems to pause for two or three seconds before continuing?"

"He's right, I've noticed that sometimes," said Cupid.

"Me too," said Gil.

"It's not an error in the watch as the 'experts' would leave you to believe," said Jackson, "it's basically a hiccup in reality, a slight deviation in time and space, so slight that most people simply don't notice it."

"That kind of hiccup in reality can cause the exit point of the wormhole to be somewhere else," said Robecca, "it could be off by as little as a fraction of an inch or as great as a hundred miles or more."

"You mean we could wind up halfway around the world?" asked Clawdeen, "or halfway to the moon even? And all because of a hiccup?"

"Which is why Ghoulia's writing a program to compensate for those hiccups," said Jackson. "If it works, we won't be off by more than a few miles."

"What about materializing underground?" asked Raven, "or inside solid rock for that matter?"

"I don't want to materialize in solid rock," muttered a worried Maddie, "there's no tea inside solid rock."

"We should be able to see what's on the other side of the wormhole," Jackson, "so we'll know if there's anything wrong. It'll basically be like stepping through a door, only from one dimension to another."

"Wait, I think I've seen this show before," said Chad, "remember 'The Librarians?'"

"Oh, I loved that show!" said Jessie, "I'm so glad they didn't cancel it!"

"Well, if I'm getting what Jackson and Robecca are saying," said Chad, "then it'll be like on that show."

"I didn't see that show," said Tobias.

"I've got it on my Cloud," said Chad, "once we're back on Earth and have wireless reception again, I'll download it."

At that Ghoulia moaned in frustration and slapped the side of her laptop.

"What's wrong now?" asked Avery.

"She's having trouble with her laptop," said Jackson, "She tried running a simulation of her wormhole calculations and the thing froze up. We need to network at least another laptop for the extra computing power, and I don't think mine is enough."

"And we need another computer because…?" asked Jessie.

"Because, without enough computing power to test the wormhole device," said Jackson, "we could end up lost in the multi-verse, or worse, dead."

"That's a good reason for another computer," said Jessie.

"You can use mine," said Sasha, "I'll be right back."

A minute later found Sasha back with her laptop, "I just hope mine can handle this kind of processing. It's my spare; my primary laptop's at the repair shop with a cracked screen."

"As long as it's functional, we'll be fine," said Jackson as he and Ghoulia began networking the devices.

"I have to warn you, though," said Sasha, "mine's an older model and I've had problems with it."

"What kind of operating system does it have?" asked Jackson.

"Uh…Vista," said Sasha.

"We're going to die!" said Jackson to Ghoulia, whom moaned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for crying out loud," said Preston as he walked up to Ghoulia and gently pushed her aside, "this is how you network computers." With that he sat down and began typing at the laptops. A minute later the program was running and shortly afterwards, a green 'Complete' window opened on Ghoulia's computer.

"Unreal," said an impressed Jackson, "not only did he network all three laptops, completed the calculations and run the test, he did it in record time." He then looked at Preston, "how'd you do that?"

"Advanced intelligence and computer skills are just two of my many qualifications as an Alabaster Proxy," said Preston, "among other talents."

"And you didn't tell us this before?" asked Jessie.

"You didn't ask," said Preston.

"Makes you wonder what other secrets you guys are hiding," said Clair as she looked at Sasha.

"A lot," said Sasha, "but nothing evil or dangerous."

"That remains to be seen," said Avery.

It was then that the networked laptops completed a second test, which came back positive.

"I think we're ready to go," Robecca, "just as soon as my father's invention locates our home world, we can open the wormhole."

"And how long will that take?" asked Raven.

"Good question," said Frankie, "there's like…I don't know how many universes out there. How will we find the right one?"

"My father configured his invention to home in on our world," said Robecca, "I know it doesn't make sense, but to me, it does."

"Well…as long as you and your father know what you're doing," said Avery.

 **DING DONG**

"What was that?" asked Lagoona.

"Sounded like a doorbell," said Apple.

"Don't be ridiculous," said Robecca, "my father's workshop doesn't have a doorbell.

 **DING DONG**

"That was a doorbell!" said Frankie as she walked to the workshop door.

"Wait! We haven't imputed the wormhole calculations!" said Jackson.

But Frankie opened the door of the workshop and in walked a man wearing a business suit and bowler hat, carrying a briefcase and umbrella.

"Oh, excuse me," said the man in a refined English accent, "I must have gotten the wrong exit coordinates. This certainly isn't Estorion VI."

"Uh…no, this is The Steam Vault," said Frankie, "can I help you, sir?"

"No, it's alright," said the man, "let me guess, you younglings are just starting out on trans-dimensional wormhole travel, right?"

"Well, yes, we are, sort of," said Raven.

"I thought so," said the man, "my wormhole generator must have locked in on yours by mistake. A bit of advice, recalibrate your device's settings often. Errors and deviations often pop up more often than you think. Well, I'd best be off if I'm going to make my appointment. Good day and best of luck!" with that the man tipped his hat, walked out and the door swung shut.

"That…was weird," said Robecca as Frankie opened the door again, revealing the gray emptiness beyond.

"I've a feeling we'll see even weirder before we're done," said Tobias.

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Yeah, we'll be sure to recalibrate every time we generate a wormhole," said Jackson.

A short time later our heroes were ready to attempt to go back to Monster High. At the door was Frankie, Lagoona, Clawdeen, Elissabat, Clair, Chad, Apple, Avery and Tobias.

"Why can't I go with you?" asked Raven.

"You're still tired from recovering the broach," said Dexter.

"I'm not tired," Raven insisted, "I'm perfectly fine."

"You're not, Raven," said Apple, "and you're still recovering from everything that happened back on Ever After. You need to rest."

"I rested for two days straight," said Raven.

"Well, I want you to rest for at least one more," said Apple, "as your friend and medical advisor, I insist that you stay."

"Easy enough for you to say," said Raven, "you're going."

"Venus could be hurt," said Apple, "I'm going because I'm needed."

"Well, I could be needed," said Raven. She then looked at Maddie, "and I don't see you getting ready to go."

"I'm needed right here," said Maddie as she stood in the kitchen area, waiting for a kettle to boil, "someone has to make tea and snacks for everyone!"

"I'm just not needed," said Dexter.

"Face it, Raven, you're staying," said Cupid as she fletched new arrows, "I'm not going this time because I've got work to do."

"So do I," said Raven. She then looked at Avery, Frankie and the others going, "What if you run into a situation where you need magic?"

"We'll make do," said Frankie.

"Or find another magic user," said Clawdeen, "is Casta Fierce still on tour?"

"If we run into a jam that really needs your touch, Raven, we'll call for you," said Avery.

"How will we be able to do that?" asked Lagoona.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," said Jackson as he worked at his laptop, "I'm sending you ghouls an app that'll allow you to call The Steam Vault whenever you want."

"You run into trouble? You need to come back or need help? Just give us a call and we'll reopen the wormhole," said Robecca, "now, if there aren't any more questions or concerns."

"Uh…actually…" said Tobias.

"Splendid," said Robecca eagerly, "Ghoulia, whenever you're ready."

At that Ghoulia gave an affirmative moan and activated the wormhole program.

The workshop door opened, revealing a picturesque grassy meadow.

"That's not Monster High," said Frankie.

"Hmmmm…" said Robecca as she walked to the door and looked out, "no, it's not Monster High."

"It's definitely nowhere near Monster High," said Clawdeen as she sniffed the air on the other side of the door.

"How do we know it's even our world?" asked Lagoona as she cautiously stepped outside, wincing slightly at the bright sunlight. She then held up her phone to check for a signal.

"It's our Earth, I'm sure of it," said Jackson.

"But where?" asked Avery as he, Apple and Tobias stepped outside, followed by Clair and Chad.

"Hang on, I'll check the GPS," said Lagoona as she activated the map app on her phone. "Where…Great Barrier Reef! We're in Kansas!"

"Kansas?!" exclaimed Frankie as she and Clawdeen pulled out their phones to check the map apps.

"Well, of course we're in Kansas," said Clair sarcastically, "look at all the cornfields." True enough, there were several cornfields around the meadow.

"Perfect, just perfect," said an irate Frankie, "We're in the middle of the country, while our school and friends are in the hands of the enemy and so is my car!" She then activated another app on her phone, "at least Hector has lowjack."

"Wait! Don't!" shouted Jackson, "get back in here, Frankie! You, Clawdeen and Lagoona! Get back in here!"

"Why? What's wrong?" asked Clawdeen as she, Lagoona and Frankie walked back into The Steam Vault.

"I should have remembered," said Jackson, "you ghouls, you need to leave your phones here."

"Our phones?" asked Lagoona as she looked at her iCoffin, while Frankie did the same with hers.

"None of you can take your phones when you go back to our world," said Jackson, "the enemy can track them."

"Of course, Obsidian's in control of Monster High," said Robecca, "so they have everyone's contact numbers."

"They don't have my contact number," said Dexter as he, Raven, Cupid, Maddie and Apple held up their mirror phones, while Avery and Tobias held up their phones.

"No, but if Obsidian is as technologically sophisticated as I think they are," said Jackson, "they can access a phone's memory remotely, specifically the recent call list."

"And if you called a Monster High student, your info is on our phones," said Frankie, "Jackson's right, we talked about this before."

"They're probably using the contact numbers to track down our friends who got away," said Clawdeen, "oh my ghoul! Howleen!"

"If Howleen's smart, she would have followed the plan and gotten rid of her phone," said Jackson.

"I remember now," said Gil, "'if the worst should happen and we have to run for it, get rid of your phones and pick up burners.'"

It was then that Ghoulia walked over to a storage cabinet, pulled out several prepaid cell phones and handed them out.

"We've set up a secure message service," said Jackson, "as soon as you're back on our Earth, you should be able to access it."

Frankie stepped back through the doorway onto the grassy meadow and almost immediately, her burner phone began to vibrate with messages; texts, voicemail and emails.

"Good grief!" said Frankie, "there's dozens of them!"

"How do we know which one to answer first?" asked Lagoona as she, Clawdeen, Avery, Tobias, Chad, Clair and Elissabat, stepped through the doorway.

"Just pick one," said Elissabat as she tapped the voicemail app, "wait, I can't read it. It's in…I don't know what language that is."

"It's encrypted, another precaution," said Jackson, "just type THX 1138 after tapping each message to decrypt."

"Hey, this one's a text from Venus!" said Lagoona after decrypting one of the messages, "crikey! She's being chased by a Fangire!"

Frankie and the others checked the message on their phones, then Frankie sent out a text, "I just asked Venus if she knows where she is and that we'll come get her."

"Assuming she's still alive and free," said Clair, "that text was from yesterday."

Frankie then got a response, "she's alive and safe," she then got a follow up message, "for the moment. That Fangire is still after her. She's hiding in an abandoned farmhouse."

"If I'm reading the map right," said Avery as he checked the map app on his phone, "the coordinates she gave us puts Venus less than ten miles from here."

"How are we going to get to her? Walk?" asked Chad.

"Take these!" shouted Ian as Lance tossed a set of car keys and a toy car to Chad.

"What is this supposed to be?" asked Chad.

"You've got a lot to learn about being a Rider," said Ian, "especially about keeping your ride close."

"But the car on the ground and pressed the green button on the remote," said Jessie, "and step back, trust me."

"Uh…okay," said Chad as he placed the toy car on the ground. He and the others stood back several paces as Chad pressed the green button on the alarm remote on the key set. There was a chirp of a car alarm deactivating and with a flash of light, the toy car expanded into Jessie's SUV.

"How'd you guys do that?" asked Chad.

"Technology's a beautiful thing," said Jessie.

"We can talk later," said Frankie in an urgent tone as she read another message, "that Fangire's getting close to Venus's hiding place! Let's go!"

"Okay, I'm driving," said Avery.

"Uh, no," said Chad, "Ian gave me the keys, so I'm driving."

"You don't have your license yet," said Clair.

"Well, neither do you!" said Chad. He then looked at Avery, "I'll bet you don't have your driver's license yet either."

"Uh…" said a slightly embarrassed Avery.

"Avery? You don't have a license?" asked Apple.

"Uh…no, I don't," said an even more embarrassed Avery.

"Neither do I," said Tobias sheepishly.

"But you ride a motorcycle!" exclaimed Cupid, "I've seen you do it!"

"Oh, we've got motorcycle licenses," said Tobias, "but they're different licenses than cars."

"Speaking of which," said Dexter, "where are our bikes?"

"Right there," said Avery as he pointed to the left of Frankie, Clawdeen and Lagoona, revealing the three bikes used by Kabuto, Sasword and Gatack.

"How'd those get there?!" exclaimed a highly startled Frankie.

"Plot convenience," said Maddie, "what'd you expect?"

"Well, you guys have bikes, but we don't," said Clair. She then looked at Chad, "how come we don't have motorcycles? Aren't Riders supposed to have motorcycles?"

"That's a good question," said Chad. He then called out to Sasha and Preston, "where are _our_ motorcycles?"

"And how come we never had a motorcycle?" Jessie.

"We had to share the Faiz gear," said Lance, "how come we didn't get a motorcycle to share?"

"Uh…that's a good question," said Sasha.

"I think someone along the line made a mistake," said Preston, "I'll have to talk with The Alabaster Council about it."

"How come Alabaster didn't give us a motorcycle when we got the Faiz Gear?" asked Ian.

"Nobody's perfect," said Preston, "even semi-divine ethereal beings."

"Can you drive, Elissabat?" asked Clair.

"No, and I meant to learn," said Elissabat, "I pretty much hitchhiked my way from Transylvania, across Europe and America to Hauntlywood. After I made it in the movies, I pretty much had chauffeurs drive me."

"Can we talk about this later," said Frankie as she got another text, "Venus thinks that Fangire is getting closer, we've got to move!"

"You drive, Frankie," said Clawdeen as she took the keys from Chad and handed them to Frankie, "I'll navigate."

"How come you get to navigate?" asked Chad as he, Clawdeen, Lagoona, Clair, Frankie and Apple got into the SUV, with Frankie getting behind the wheel and Clawdeen riding shotgun, while Avery and Tobias got onto their motorcycles, with Dexter wheeling his into The Steam Vault.

"Because I said so," said Clawdeen as they all buckled in, "Step on it, Frankie!"

"You got it!" said Frankie as she turned the key in the ignition. It wasn't long before the SUV and motorcycles speed off towards the nearest road.

"We've got to close the wormhole for now," said Robecca, "The device could overheat if we keep it open too long."

"They'll call us when they're ready to come home," said Jackson as he deactivated the wormhole device and the door swung shut, "I programmed their burner phones with the number for The Steam Vault. And don't worry about the enemy tracing that number. If Frankie or the others lose their burner phones, they'll burn, literally."

"And that's our phone?" asked Gil as he looked at an antique telephone set that looked to be from the early 1900's.

"At least we have one," said Ian, "At least we can call them and they can call us."

"Speaking of calling," said Maddie, "we're about to get another call."

Just then Ghoulia's laptop beeped. She looked at the screen and moaned earnestly for everyone's attention.

"It's The Base!" said Cupid as she looked at the screen, "they're calling us!"

* * *

Having quickly found a road, Clawdeen's navigation and Frankie's earnest driving soon brought our heroes to a seemingly abandoned farm, the land marked for sale by a realtor sign, the barn and silo showing signs of weather damage, while the fields that had grown crops lay fallow and overgrown with weeds.

"You sure this is the place, Frankie?" asked Lagoona as they drove up to the weather-beaten farmhouse.

"It's where Venus said she was," said Frankie as she parked the car and turned the engine off, while Avery and Tobias dismounted from their motorcycles. "I haven't gotten any more texts from here, so she hasn't moved; she would have said if she did."

Just then, as they were getting out of the car, Claqwdeen tensed up as she saw something approaching in the distance, "We're not alone here."

"Kaijin?" asked Avery as he and the other Riders tensed for action.

"I don't think so," said Clawdeen as she pulled out her burner phone and used the camera app to zoom in on the approaching object, "not unless Kaijin know how to ride a bicycle."

The object in question turned out to be a ten-speed bicycle, ridden by an ordinary girl in her early teens with a worried expression on her face.

"Hey there!" shouted the girl as she peddled up to and stopped near our heroes, "have any of you seen my dog?"

"Oh, sorry, we haven't seen any dogs around here," said Frankie.

"Are you sure?" asked the girl as she got off her bike and walked up to Frankie, "Reggie's a brown and cream-colored German Sheppard. She's six years old and has a green and white collar on her neck."

"Sorry, we haven't seen any dogs around here," said Frankie in an apologizing manner, "we're looking for our friend."

"Have you seen her?" asked Lagoona as she reached for her phone to pull up a picture of Venus, yet she stopped as she realized that her burner phone had no photos at all. She then described Venus to the girl.

"Sorry, haven't seen her," said the girl, "are you sure you haven't seen my dog? Seriously, you can't miss Reggie."

"You couldn't miss Venus," said Lagoona.

"Something's not right," said Tobias to Avery, Chad and Clair, "why's this girl out in the middle of nowhere looking for her dog?"

"She strikes me as a city slicker," said Chad.

"And her accent is out of place with Midwestern America," said Clair.

"That and the fact that a normal human girl is completely un-phased by Monsters," said Avery.

Just then everyone heard Venus shouting from above, "IT'S A TRAP!"

Frankie, Apple and the others looked up and saw Venus hanging out the attic window of the farmhouse, with Venus pointing at the girl. "SHE'S A FANGIRE!"

"Darn, I was hoping to fool you losers even more," said the girl irately, before shifting into a Fangire with features of a chameleon. It then lashed out an extremely long and thick tongue at Avery, striking him in the chest and knocking him back several feet where he landed in a heap against the car.

The tongue then swiped at and knocked Chad down, while the creature's smaller yet exceptionally long tail smashed into Lagoona and Frankie, knocking them both down, while a second tongue lash shot at Avery and Apple. Avery pulled Apple out of the way and they both fell to the ground.

"Watch out!" shouted Clawdeen as she and Elissabat pulled Clair out of the way of another tongue lash. "Clair, you okay?"

"I'm alright!" Clair insisted, "I'm ready to fight!"

"So am I!" said Elissabat. With a flash of light, she assumed her metal bat form, _"Elissabat Ikuze!"_

She flew over to and was caught by Clair, then bit into Clair's hand, " _Gabut!"_

The high-pitched whistling sound could be heard as the stain glass patterns appeared on Clair's skin, while the ghostly chains materialized into the Kiva belt around her waist.

"Henshin!" said Clair as she clicked Elissabat into place on the belt. Her body was then covered by rippling liquid metal that quickly shattered, revealing her as Kiva.

The Chameleon Fangire hissed in furry as it rushed at Kiva, whom rushed at it and the two began exchanging blows.

"You ghouls alright?" asked Clawdeen as she helped Frankie and Lagoona up.

"We're fine, love," said a slightly uncomfortable Lagoona, "just a little sore." She then winced in pain, "I could be wrong, but I think I'm bleeding in me chest."

"I think I've got cracked ribs," groaned Chad as he and Tobias struggled to get up up.

"I think my wrist is broken," said Tobias as he clutched at his right forearm.

"I think I also have a concussion," said Chad as he clutched at his bruised forehead.

"Since when are we competing?" asked Tobias.

"Has anyone seen my legs," said Frankie, "I think I popped a few stitches."

"I've got them!" said Venus as she ran out of the farmhouse, holding Frankie's legs, "they crashed into the window."

"Why didn't you warn us about the Fangire!?" asked Lagoona as she and Frankie used an emergency thread kit to stitch Frankie's legs back on.

"I did!" protested Venus, "You guys didn't listen!"

"Well, we're listening now!" said Frankie as she tied a knot in the thread and cut it. She then tried to stand up, then winced in pain as her left leg failed to support her weight, "oh great, my ankle's busted!"

"That's the least of our problems!" said Tobias, "where are Avery and Apple?"

"There's Apple!" said Frankie as she pointed towards the overgrown front lawn of the farmhouse. Apple lay in a dazed and slightly dusty heap, while Avery was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm alright," said Apple as Clawdeen rushed over and helped her up, "I'm just a little dizzy."

"HEY! HELP!"

"That's Avery!" shouted Apple as she looked around franticly, "he pulled me away from that creature and…"

"Here!" said Chad as he pointed to a large hole in the ground, "I think this was a covered well."

"No kidding!" called Avery from down the hole, "I'm caught on some beams and I think I dislocated my shoulder!"

"We'll get you out, Avery!" said Apple as she rushed over to the well, "just hold on!" she looked down the well, seeing Avery trapped halfway down a twenty-foot hole with rocks on the bottom. Avery was holding on with his right arm on a wedged support beam, while his left shoulder was jammed against the side of the well.

But then the well seemed much, much deeper, the bottom stretching off into infinite darkness.

Apple's normally pale face paled even further as terror filled her eyes. She hastily backed away from the well, collapsing to her knees and nearly falling over.

"Apple? Apple?!" exclaimed Frankie as she hobbled over and knelt down on her good leg, "Apple, what's wrong?"

"I…I can't…" said a trembling Apple as she hugged herself, "I can't…"

"Can't what?" asked Lagoona as she and the others hurried over, "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, no!" said Avery, "I forgot, she's scared of wells."

"She's claustrophobic?" asked Tobias, "all this time she's a claustrophobic princess!"

"We've got bigger problems than that," said Chad, "I don't think Clair's doing so well!"

Everyone looked and saw that for every punch Kiva threw at the Chameleon Fangire, it blocked the blow and returned two, of which Kiva could barely keep up.

"I'm helping her!" said Tobias as he held out his hands to summon the Sasword Zecter and Sasword Yavier, but then winced as his broken wrist was agitated.

"No way you're fighting in that condition," said Frankie.

"I can barely stand up, I'm so dizzy," said Chad as he bent over, "but Clair's got this!"

"It's her first fight as a Rider," said Tobias, "it won't kill her to have some help!"

"I know Clair, she's tougher than she looks!" said Chad, "We've been friends since we were kids. Trust me, Clair has this in the bag!"

As if in response, Kiva landed a hard haymaker to the Chameleon Fangire that left it slightly disoriented. Kiva followed up with several more punches and kicks that knocked the creature back more than a few paces.

"Told you so!" said Chad with no small amount of smugness.

But then the Chameleon Fangire seemed to vanish, it's body shimmering and becoming transparent, distorting the air around it before dropping out of sight completely.

"What? It's invisible?!" exclaimed Frankie.

"It's a chameleon, what'd you expect?" asked Venus.

Just then Kiva was struck by the camouflaged Fangire hard in the torso, then again from the side, then by an invisible tongue lash that knocked Kiva to the ground.

"Okay, now we need to help it," said Frankie as she tried to get back up, supporting her weight on her good leg. Her neck bolts sparked and she sent several bolts of electricity from her arms out towards the battle area around Kiva, yet each bolt hit the ground with no apparent effect.

"How can you zap what you can't see?" asked Frankie.

"You can't," said Clawdeen as she sniffed the air, "but I can smell it! Frankie! There!" she then pointed to a spot several paces behind Kiva. Frankie fired another bolt, this one earning a surprised screech from the creature.

"You just missed it, Frankie!" said Clawdeen, "there! Shoot there!"

Frankie fired off another bolt, only to just miss the stealthy Fangire.

"It's too fast," said Chad, "none of us are fast enough!"

"Clawdeen can catch it!" said Lagoona, "she can smell that mangy lizard and grab it!"

"And get torn apart in the process," said Tobias.

"What we need is Kiva's power, boosted by Clawdeen's senses," said Chad. He then smiled eagerly, "I think I know what's coming!"

As if in response, Kiva pulled out one of the three whistles on her left side and inserted into Elissabat's mouth. A high-pitched whistling could be heard as Elissabat blew.

 **" _GARURU SABER!"_**

"What the…!" exclaimed Clawdeen as a bright blue aurora surrounded her body and she lifted off the ground. "Oh, My Ghoul!" she shouted as the aurora flared up, covering her completely in its light. When the light faded, Clawdeen had become a silver saber with a purple wolf-like handle.

The sword shot towards and was caught by Kiva. With a whirl of ghostly chains, Kiva's left arm, chest plate and eye markings on her helmet turned purple, while Elissabat's eyes turned purple as well.

Growling like a wolf, Kiva adopted a more feral fighting stance as she looked around, sensing the area. She then threw a hard punch at seemingly empty air that hit the invisible Fangire. The creature let out a surprised and pained hiss as it briefly became visible.

Kiva then slashed at and struck the creature with her sword, emitting a blast of spark damage. The Chameleon Fangire then jumped back several paces and shot its tongue at Kiva, whom responded by unleashing a howling sonic blast from the wolf's head of the sword that knocked the creature's tongue back at it, knocking it off its feet.

"Let's finish it, Clair!" said Elissabat. Kiva then brought the blade of the sword down to Elissabat, _"Garuru Bite!"_

With that Elissabat bit the blade of the sword, sending a pulse of energy into it.

Day suddenly turned into night as a large moon appeared in the sky, while Kiva placed the grip of the sword in the 'mouth' of her helmet, assuming a wolf-light fighting stance. She then rushed at the Chameleon Fangire as it was trying to get back up.

Jumping high into the air, Kiva delivered a massively damaging slash on the creature that caused it to shatter into stain glass fragments, its pulsating soul rising up and vanishing into the air as daylight returned.

"Wow!" said Clair after powering down, with Elissabat and Clawdeen returning to their normal forms as well, "That was incredible! Let's do it again!"

"Let's find a hospital first!" said a woozy Chad, "I really don't feel good."

"That thing really dropped the hammer on us," said Avery as pulled himself out of the well with his right arm.

"You climbed out of that thing with a dislocated shoulder?!" exclaimed Chad, "man, you're hardcore."

"I saw that Apple was in trouble," said Avery, "I should have remembered that she was traumatized as a child." He then walked up to and sat next to Apple, "it's alright, I'm okay now and so are you."

At that Apple stopped trembling and looked at Avery, "oh, I'm sorry, Avery! I wanted so badly to help you, but…" she then looked at the edge of the well, "but…it was as if I was six years old again and had fallen down the well back home, even though I was only down there for two minutes."

"Two minutes is enough to traumatize anyone at that age," said Clair.

"It's alright, Apple," said Avery, "I'm fine. You just had a panic attack, that's all."

"But I haven't had a panic attack like that in years," said Apple, "why now?" She then sighed, then put on a confident smile, "it's probably nothing, just a flashback. I'm just glad you're okay." She then threw her arms around Avery, whom cried out in pain.

"Oh! Sorry! Your shoulder! Sorry!" said Apple as she backed away from Avery, then looked around franticly, "where's my first aid kit?"

"Good thing I'm here," said Venus as she reached into her purse and pulled out a small felt pouch.

"How did you get here, Venus?" asked Frankie, "and what is that?"

"Something that'll make you all feel a lot better real soon," said Venus as she opened the pouch and poured out a small amount of pollen, "as for how I got here, I really don't remember how I got out of the school when the enemy took over." She then walked over to Frankie and sprinkled some of the pollen on Frankie's ankle and rubbed it in. Frankie gasped in surprise, then sighed with relief.

"Wow, I feel so much better," said Frankie.

"Thanks," said Venus as she moved to Tobias and sprinkled and rubbed some of the pollen onto Tobias's wrist, earning a gasp of surprise and sigh of relief from him. "Anyway," she said as she moved on to Chad's forehead, "I did remember the plans we talked about; I got rid of my phone, picked up a burner and got on the first bus out of town. I was so exhausted by what happened, I fell asleep and the next thing I knew, I was in the middle of Kansas." Having finished with his forehead, Venus bade Chad to lift his shirt, earning a wince of pain from him. She then rubbed some of the pollen onto his ribs, earning another sigh of relief from him.

She then walked over to Lagoona, "open your mouth and close your eyes and I'll give you a big surprise!" she said with a playful smile.

"I'm not having anything to do with that stuff until you tell me what it is," said Lagoona.

"Whatever it is, it's all but healed my ankle," said an amazed Frankie as she stood up.

"And my wrist," said Tobias, while an amazed Chad felt his forehead and ribs.

"It's a special healing pollen I've cultivated," said Venus, "it basically persuades wounds to heal faster."

"If it'll take care of my shoulder, I'll take some," said Avery after Chad helped pop his shoulder into its socket. Venus then gave some to Avery, pouring a small amount onto and rubbed into his shoulder, to which Avery gasped and sighed with relief

"Anyway," said Venus as she walked back to Lagoona, "I knew I couldn't risk using my credit card without being tracked and I didn't have much cash on me. So there I was, trying to figure out how to get back home and get in touch with anyone else who got away, when that Fangire started chasing me. Long story short, I wound up holding up in the farmhouse."

"But how did it find you here?" asked Frankie.

"Obsidian must have eyes everywhere," said Lagoona after finally eating some of the healing pollen.

"The whole world could be crawling with disguised Kaijin and we'd never know the difference between them and real Normies until it was too late," said Clawdeen.

"We'd better get back to The Steam Vault and let the others know," said Frankie.

"Steam Vault?" asked Venus, "you mean Robecca's workshop?"

"It's a long story," said Frankie.

* * *

Our heroes then drove back to the meadow, filling Venus in on everything that had happened. They reached the meadow, called The Steam Vault and waited for the wormhole to open.

"Welcome back!" said an eager Robecca as our heroes walked through the door, which swung shut once they were all through.

"I take it you were successful in your endeavor," said Preston as Clawdeen and Lagoona showed an awed Venus around The Steam Vault.

"One friend rescued, one Fangire shattered," said Clair happily.

"Congratulations, Clair," said Sasha proudly, "you've taken your first true step into a larger world."

"You think defeating a Kaijin was the highlight of your day?" asked Cupid, "you ain't seen nothing yet. Wait until you hear what we just found out."

"What did you just found out?" asked Tobias.

"And why is Raven sitting in the corner?" asked Avery.

Frankie and the others then saw that Raven was sitting apart from the rest of the group, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a fit of giggles.

"Did we miss a really great joke?" asked Frankie.

"Oh, what a joke," said a seriously serious Maddie as she prepared a pot of tea, "possibly the most joccularious joke ever told."

"Okay, what's the joke?" Avery asked hesitantly.

"I think you should hear it as we heard it," said Dexter, "from Dorothea and the others on Ever After."

"Hang on, we're still working here!" said Jackson as he, Robecca and Ghoulia worked at the dimensional communications device, "we had a signal to The Base for a few minutes, but we lost it before you got here…got it!"

The viewer then showed Dorothea, Briar, Cerise, Ashlynn and Hunter.

"Avery, Apple, thank goodness!" said Dorothea, "you are not going to believe this."

"We barely believe it ourselves," said Cerise.

"And we wouldn't if we hadn't heard it from Cedar," said Hunter as he held Ashlynn's hand.

"Okay, what is it?" asked Avery.

"You're never going to believe it, Apple," said Briar.

"I'd rather hear it first before I decide if I believe it or not," said Apple.

"Okay, then," said Dorothea, "here it is; It's about The Storybook of Legends."

"Oh don't say it!" said an irate Tobias, "Obsidian's got it?"

"No, it's still safe in The Base," said Dorothea, "but that's not what you need to know. The Storybook of Legends, the book that we risked our lives so much to protect, the book Obsidian is so hot and bothered about getting…"

"It's a fake," said Ashlynn.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Apple, Tobias and Avery.

"That's what they said," said Jackson as he pointed at Raven, then at Dexter and Maddie.

"And the reason why Raven can't stop laughing," said Dexter as he pointed at Raven, upon whom Maddie was trying to serve tea.

"Here, drink this, Raven," said Maddie, "it'll chase those grim giggles away."

"It's a joke!" laughed Raven, "it's all been a joke!"

* * *

 _…Monster High…_

"You know, Cleo," said Amanita, "when I heard you and your boyfriend were being tortured, I like just had to come back and watch," she then sighed, "but this is just disappointing."

"Sorry, Amanita," said an exhausted and dishelmed yet otherwise unharmed Cleo as she sat at a table, her wrists chained to the tabletop, "but it seems Obsidian has a slight deficiency in the torture department."

"Two days and nights of questions and yelling, that's it," said an equally tired yet unharmed Deuce as he stood chained to the wall, "dudes, you guys suck."

"This is just a taste of what we have in store for you two," said Irvin as he, Valentine and Draculaura, sat across from Cleo, while a pair of Shadow Acolytes stood nearby at the ready, "the Shadow Acolytes have had their turn at interrogation, now it's ours."

"Don't make it harder for yourselves that it already is, Cleo," said Draculaura, "tell us where Frankie and the others went with the third Star piece."

"I told those Shadow creeps before and I'll keep telling you," sighed Cleo with annoyance, "I don't know! And I wouldn't tell if I did!"

"Oh, you'll talk," said Valentine smugly, "they all talk in the end."

"Yeah, can we end this already, Val?" asked Deuce, "I could really use a shower."

"Even your odor is masculine, Deuce darling," said an adoring Cleo, "don't give in!" she then glared at Draculaura, "if they truly were going to hurt us, they would have done so by now."

"Maybe we're just holding back," said Draculaura, "maybe just the threat of torture is enough to break you."

"But the time for threats has come and gone," said Irvin, "time to get down to brass tax. I'll have the Shadow Acolytes bring in some sharp objects, some electrical equipment and a vise while they're at it. I loved that scene in Casino, where Joe Pesci's character has that guy's head in a vise."

"Oh, 'Charlie M,' I totally dug that scene," said Deuce.

"You're not helping," said Cleo. She then looked at Irvin, "if you're going to torture Deuce and I, then do it already! But know this! You'll never break our resolve! Our love and strength of heart will carry us through this ordeal, no matter what horrors and agonies you inflict on us! So either get to it or kill us now!"

"What she said," remarked Deuce.

"You heard her!" said Amanita to Irvin, Valentine and Draculaura, "like, bring on the pain already!"

There was a tense few seconds of silence between the three villains before Irvin spoke, "we can't," he said flatly.

"We're not allowed," said Valentine in a slightly embarrassed tone.

" _He_ won't let us," said Draculaura.

" _He_ who?" asked Cleo, "What's preventing you from torturing us?"

"Jeez, Cleo," said Amanita, "I'd thought you'd be so relieved to _not_ be tortured."

"I am, you idiot!" snapped Cleo. She then looked at Irvin, "I just want to know why."

"Might as well tell her," said Valentine, "he'll want to know what we've done to her, one way or another."

"Bring in the viewer," said Irvin to the waiting Shadow Acolytes, whom bowed and left the room.

"Remember when we told you that Amanita put a geass on all the parents of the students and the Monster authorities?" asked Draculaura, "to keep them away from Monster High and out of Obsidian's business?"

"Yes, what of it?" asked Cleo.

"Well, the geass didn't last long for some folks," said Valentine, "it began to wear off as we were securing our hold over Monster High. And without another item from Atlantis at the ready, we couldn't put the whammy out on the internet again."

"You should have like asked me to go in person," said Amanita, "I don't need some rusty item from home. My own charms and whit are geass enough to put the whammy on anyone!"

"In a pig's eye, you are," muttered Deuce.

"Anyway," said Draculaura, "since we knew we couldn't cast another internet geass, we tried diplomacy."

"You'd be surprised how many vampire covens and werewolf pacts we reached out to," said Irvin, "and how many accepted our invitation to an alliance."

"You tried to get Monsters to team up with you?!" exclaimed Cleo, "with Obsidian! Never!"

"You'd be surprised," said Irvin again, this time much more smugly, "the vampires were the easiest to convince; especially after we told them that their queen had vanished off the face of the planet with their precious Vampire's Heart."

"Elissabat," said Cleo, "she's gone?"

"With Frankie and the rest of your precious Ghoulfriends," said Draculaura, "oh, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about them."

"I don't believe it," said Cleo.

"Neither do I!" said Deuce, "no way the vampire covens would ever agree to work with you creeps!"

"Well they did," said Valentine, "and so did a lot of werewolf packs. I can show you the treaty papers signed by each coven and pack if you wish."

"Oh, but you haven't heard the best part yet, Cleo," said Draculaura, "one rather powerful and influential Monster approached Obsidian with an offer of his own."

"He'll support Obsidian in all its future endeavors," said Irvin, "in return for your safety. We're not allowed to harm you in any physical manner, or else."

"Or else what? You'll get a spanking?" asked Cleo, "and anyway, who or what would all but sell their souls to the dark side in return for my protection?"

"Who indeed," said Draculaura as the two Shadow Acolytes brought in a laptop and camera on a cart, which was placed in front of Cleo. Irvin activated Skype and on the other end of the connection was a well distinguished and irate-looking mummy in Ancient Egyptian finery.

"Mr. de Nile?" asked a surprised Deuce.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Cleo.

On the laptop screen, Ramses de Nile looked at Cleo, then glared at Irvin, "we had a deal, Mr. Weis! My daughter was to be left unharmed!"

"We haven't touched her, Mr. de Nile," said Irvin as he held up his hands in a placating manner, "well, we did rough her up a bit, but nothing permanent. Other than that, all we've done is ask a few questions about her friends and the third Star piece."

"That and keep her up for the past two days and nights," said Valentine, "she'll survive a little sleep deprivation, she's fine."

"I'll be the judge of that, boy," said Ramses de Nile. He then looked at Cleo, "are you alright, my daughter? Did they harm you in any way?"

"Of course they've harmed me, daddy!" exclaimed Cleo, "these creeps kidnapped and brainwashed one of my best fiends, took over my school and tried to get me to betray more of my friends! And now they dare to suggest that you, The Great Pharaoh, would even consider siding with the likes of The Obsidian Council! Go on, daddy! Tell them you would never act in cahoots with the likes of them!"

"But I have, daughter," said Ramses de Nile, "I have sided with Obsidian."

"Told you so!" said Cleo spitefully at Draculaura. She then blinked in surprise and did a double take at the laptop, "I'm sorry, what did you say, daddy?"

"The de Nile family has sided with Obsidian," said Cleo's father, "they are now our allies."

"Told you so!" said Draculaura spitefully at Cleo.

"I don't get it," said Deuce, while Cleo was struck speechless, "why? Why, Mr. de Nile?"

"As if I have to explain myself to a peasant such as you, boy!" said Ramses de Nile, "but for my daughter's sake," he then looked at Cleo, "this is a treacherous world we live in, daughter of mine. It isn't like in the old days when the masses and gentry worshiped us. We must do what we must to survive and thrive, even if it means shaking hands with the forces of darkness, even if it means betraying those you considered friends and equals."

"Betraying…what are you talking about, daddy?" asked Cleo.

"Your father's been devoting his resources and employees towards Obsidian's goals," said Irvin, "convincing other Monsters to join us, while dealing with those whom would hinder Obsidian."

"You mean…Oh My Ra!" cried Cleo, "Clawdeen's family! And Frankie's parents!"

"Most of the families of Monster High's students are of the sort whom are blind to the greater picture, my daughter," said Ramses de Nile, "The Stein's, the Wolf's, the Blue's and so many others, they either must submit to Obsidian or be destroyed. It is the only way our kind will survive in the new order Obsidian is establishing."

"Well, there's no way my folks will join with Obsidian!" said Deuce, "they'll fight! Just as everyone else who likes the idea of freedom!"

"Freedom is an illusion, boy," said Ramses de Nile, "just as there is no good or evil; only power, the weak and the strong. The strong take what is rightfully theirs, while the weak are just that, weak."

"I'd love to debate this further, Mr. de Nile," said Irvin, "but we're at a bit of an impasse."

"We need the third Star piece to start looking for the remaining six," said Valentine, "but Cleo's friends have made off with it."

"And she's not talking," said Draculaura, "since you forbade us from being more persuasive, Mr. de Nile, perhaps you can get Cleo to talk."

"Well, daughter of mine?" asked Ramses de Nile, "will you join your family in this bold endeavor that will elevate us to glory and power greater than what we had in Ancient Egypt?"

"What did they offer you, father?" asked Cleo, her face blank except for her eyes that were burning with anger that was on the verge of hatred, "what did Obsidian offer you to betray our world? And what about Neffra? I assume she's already walking the path to hell as well."

"Your sister, while eager to share the coming glory," said Ramses de Nile, "is rather…she's…"

"Neffra's too stupid to be given any responsibilities from Obsidian," said Draculaura, "all she's doing is running messages and small errands, nothing major, but just enough to keep her occupied and out of trouble."

"At least my sister has found her calling," said Cleo. She then glared at Ramses de Nile, "as I have found mine. I'll never join Obsidian, father! Just as I'll never join you in your heartless ambitions!"

"Then you will not assist in locating the third Star piece?" asked Ramses de Nile, "you will not tell where your friends have run off to?"

"As I told Irvin and the others so many times," said Cleo, "I DON'T KNOW! And I wouldn't tell even if I did!"

"So take your crazy ideas of power and glory and shove it, old man!" snapped Deuce.

At that Ramses de Nile sighed with frustration, "so be it." He then looked at Irvin, "my daughter speaks the truth; she does not know, nor will she be of any help to you. Do what you must to keep her from helping her friends or hinder Obsidian, but she is not to be harm in any way or form. Is that understood, Mr. Weis?"

"Of course, Mr. de Nile," said Irvin, "I would never think of doing anything that would jeopardize our alliance." He then looked at Valentine, Draculaura and Amanita, "is that right?"

"Of course, right," said Valentine, while Draculaura nodded in agreement.

"I'm just here to watch the drama," said Amanita.

"So be it," said Ramses de Nile. He then looked at Cleo, "my daughter, in time you will come to understand what I have done and join your family. Until then, think about your choices." With that the image cut out.

"I'll never join Obsidian, father!" exclaimed Cleo, "I'd rather be buried alive for another 3,000 years!"

"You'll think twice about that after what we're about to do to you," said Valentine as he pulled out the enthralling mask, then loaded it with a canister of the enthralling vapors.

"Is that your intention for me, then?" asked Cleo, "turn me into a mindless slave? It's the only way I'll ever do anything for you!"

"Oh, we won't waste the vapors on you, Cleo," said Draculaura as she gave a sinister smile, "no, we've got something else in mind."

At that Valentine walked up to Deuce and put the mask on him. Deuce tried to shrug the mask off, but Valentine released the vapors. Deuce had no choice but to breathe them in.

"Deuce!" exclaimed Cleo as Valentine stepped back, leaving a blank-faced Deuce chained to the wall.

"You can dispose of those chains," said Irvin to the two Shadow Acolytes, "he's part of the collective now."

"Deuce! You've got to fight it!" said Cleo as Deuce was unchained, "you're stronger than some disgusting dark magic gas!"

"He can't hear you, Cleo," said Draculaura smugly, "but he can hear us." She then looked at Deuce, "walk up to her and wait."

"One of the effects of the vapors is that it forces the enthralled Monsters to utilize their power's full potential," said Valentine as Deuce slowly walked up to a now fearfully sweating Cleo, "while your boyfriend has inherited his family's eyes, he's been subconsciously holding back."

"That's why whenever he accidentally petrified anyone, it only lasted for a few minutes," said Draculaura, "but now..."

At that the Shadow Acolytes unchained Cleo and forced her to stand up while looking away.

"Petrify her!" said Draculaura.

At that Deuce took off his sunglasses and looked at Cleo, hitting her with the full power of his petrifying gaze.

"Deuce!" cried Cleo as her body turned to stone. The two Shadow Acolytes walked away, leaving Cleo, a look of utter despair on her petrified face.

"Well, instant modern art," said Amaninta as she walked over to Cleo, "I like it." She looked at Draculaura, "can she hear me?"

"She can see and hear everything that goes on around her," said Draculaura.

"And she'll stay that way until we command Deuce to release her," said Valentine, "We'll give her a few weeks to think things over. Maybe she'll change her mind, maybe not."

"In that case, I'm just going to borrow her for a bit," said Amanita, "Statue Cleo, she'll make a nice piece of art for my new apartment."

"As if I'd inflict such torment on her," said Draculaura, "being locked up with you back in her tomb was enough. If we let you have her, it'll drive her out of her mind."

"We want her to submit, not go insane," said Valentine.

"In that case, I'll just borrow some of your bling for a bit," said Amanita as she wiggled her fingers at Valentine, the ring containing the second Star piece glittering in the light.

"What…! How did you…!?" exclaimed Valentine as he realized that the ring was gone from his finger and on Amanita's, "give that back!"

"I will, when I'm done with it," said Amanita, "now if you'll all excuse me, I've some more shopping to do. Oh, I'm borrowing your credit cards, Valentine, hope you don't mind. Of course you don't mine. Toodles!" with that she flounced out of the room.

"That thieving weed!" exclaimed Valentine, "I'll kill her!" with that he chased after Amanita, just as a very nervous Shadow Acolyte walked into the room.

"Uh…Mr. Wise?" said the nervous Shadow Acolyte, "I'm afraid we have a problem."

"Of course there's a problem," said a slightly exasperated Irvin, "what is it now?"

"Uh…some of the Orphnochs and Fangire," said the Shadow Acolyte, "they've…"

"They've what?" asked Irvin, "spit it out already!"

"They're gone, Mr. Weise," said the Shadow Acolyte.

"What do you mean, gone?" asked Draculaura.

"Just that, they're gone," said the Shadow Acolyte, "twenty-six Orphnochs and twelve Fangire, they've abandoned the former base at the abandoned castle."

"They're probably out looking for humans to kill or feed on," said Irvin.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Weis," said the Shadow Acolyte as he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Irivn, "they left a note."

Irvin took the paper and read the words on it.

 _Dear Mr. Weis & company…_

 _We free-thinking Orphnochs and Fangir, are fed up with being treated like disposable mooks. We are fed up with fighting for a hopeless cause such as Obsidian's. And most of all, we are fed up with fighting and dying at the hand and kicks of Kamen Riders, especially the kicks._

 _We may be Kaijin, but even Kaijin have rights. We will no longer be denied our rights, nor will we be exploited for Obsidian's ambitions, same goes for Dai-Shocker, Foundation X or any other dark organization and/or villain._

 _With this, we take our leave of you, Valentine, Draculaura, Obsidian and anyone else who wishes to use Kaijin for selfless goals. We take our leave of those whom would command us to fight and die in their battles. We take our leave._

Irvin then read the thirty-eight signatures at the bottom of the letter.

"This has to be a joke," said Irvin as his hands shook with fury, "it has to be some kind of prank, and one done in very poor taste at that!"

"It's no prank, Mr. Weis," said the Shadow Acolyte, "the thirty-eight Kaijin are gone."

"Well," said Irvin through gritted teeth as he crumbled up the letter and tossed it to the ground, at which Draculaura picked it up, flattened and read it, "that's a pity."

It was then that Valentine walked back into the room, "the weed took off in her 'borrowed' car before I could catch her. When Frankie Stein rebuilds a car, she rebuilds it." He then saw the wrathful look on Irvin's face, "did I miss something."

"Apparently we have a mutiny on our hands," said Draculaura as she handed the letter to Valentine.

"Well, imagine that," said Valentine, "a genuine Kaijin mutiny."

"Not for long," said Irvin "they'll regret it, these renegades. No matter how long it takes, no matter the cost, the renegades will regret their decisions, I swear it!"

* * *

 _…Ever After…_

"At the count of three, Milton, you will wake up, but you will not remember what we talked about," said Ophelia as she sat on a reclining leather chair, while Grimm lay on a plush couch, his eyes closed and breathing deeply.

"You will remember our discussions about your brother and The Storybook of Legends," said Ophelia, "other than that, nothing, until I say you can remember. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Grimm flatly.

"Excellent," said Ophelia. "One, Two, Three!"

At that Grimm's eyes opened and he sat up, "what…did it work, Dr. Baumann?"

"I believe you can answer that best, Milton," said Ophelia.

"I…yes, I remember," said Grimm as he stood up and walked to the office window, "my brother, Giles, when we were little, I goaded him into going into that cave. We ignored the stories our father told us and Giles nearly died." He then looked at Ophelia, his eyes beginning to water with tears of regret, "dear heavens, Dr. Baumann, I almost killed my brother!"

"You were a child at the time, Milton," said Ophelia, "you didn't know any better. It's natural for children to test the boundaries set by parents, and also to question their reasons." She then laughed, "the things I can tell you about my parents and the things they told me that turned out to be hogwash, 'all for your own good,' they would say."

"But this wasn't hogwash!" said Grimm, "that cave was an ogre's den and it nearly killed Giles! I should have listened to my father!"

"I know," said Ophelia as she stood up, "you didn't, but you learned from your mistake. You took that lesson to heart and vowed to ensure the safety of everyone."

"The stories must be retold and maintained," said Grimm, "it's the only way everyone can be safe."

"And they will be safe," said Ophelia. "but not as long as Rebecca Queen has her way. We must find where she hid the real Storybook of Legends!"

"She won't tell me!" spat Grimm as he began pacing back and forth, "I've had her imprisoned, stripped her of her powers, only allowed her a bare minimum of time with her daughter, yet she won't tell me where the book is! Each time I ask she laughs at me! She _laughs_ at me! She sees this as a joke! The fate of our world is at stake and all she does is laugh!"

"True villains can only feel pleasure at the expense of other's suffering," said Ophelia.

"She'd do it, you know," said Grimm as he stopped pacing and looked at Ophelia, "she'd hold her silence to the bitter end. Even if our very existence was on the verge ending, if our world was about to crumble to dust, Rebecca Queen would hold her silence, just to spite me, and she'd laugh until the last second."

"I'm sure she would," said Ophelia, whom was already thinking of her next report to Obsidian; how to tell her superiors that The Storybook of Legends that Ophelia and her cohorts had been after wasn't the real book and the only one who know where the real one was, Rebecca Queen, was still locked up.

" _Don't forget that Rebecca is lose and with Foundation X!"_

 _I haven't forgotten, Maddie._

" _But Ophelia doesn't know."_

 _And what she doesn't know won't hurt her, yet._

" _Ooh! A little foreshadowing!"_

 _Not now, Maddie. Ahem, anyway…_

"I'm sure Rebecca can be persuaded," said Ophelia, "you just haven't thought of the right means yet."

"As a matter of fact, there is, Dr. Baumann," said Grimm, "but I won't use it! I won't resort to that level."

"Please, tell me, Milton," said Dr. Baumann, "remember, whatever you say here I will keep in the strictest of confidence."

"I do have one means of leverage over Rebecca," said Grimm, "something she cares about more than anything else, more than power and ambition, more than her own life."

"And, this leverage," said Ophelia, "if you use it, would it be enough to convince her to return the book?"

"It may just," said Grimm, "if Rebecca has hang humanity left in her, if she has even just a shred if goodness in her twisted black heart, doubtful as hat may be.

"But I won't use the leverage. To do so would mean a price too high for me to pay, to cross over into true corruption when I have spent my life upholding the values of goodness and order."

"I see," said Ophelia, "well then, you must to what you feel is right," she then walked up to and placed her hand on Grimm's chest, "in here," then on Grimm's forehead, "and in here. For the good of our world, you must do what you believe is right."

"I know, Dr. Baumann," said Grimm as Ophelia stepped back, "thank you, Dr. Baumann, you've given me a lot to think about."

"And you certainly have given me enough to think about," said Ophelia, "enough to recommend to my colleagues that I send you home to rest and complete your recovery. But don't think this is the last of our conversations, Milton; you're still my patient and I expect to see you for our next appointment. And remember that you can call me anytime you wish of you have something you'd like to talk about, anything at all."

"I already have it in my calendar, Dr. Baumann," said Grimm as he smiled gratefully, "and again, thank you."

"Please, Milton," said Ophelia as she gave a warm smile that went beyond the level of a professional relationship, "call me Felicity. I hope that, after getting to know each other so well," she then placed a comforting hand on Grimm's shoulder and gave a more than comforting squeeze, "we can be friends."

"Felicity," said Grimm as he smiled back and placed his hand over Ophelia's, "yes, I'd like that."

'All according to plan,' thought Ophelia as she continued to smile at Grimm.

 _ **...The End Is Just the Beginning...**_


	12. Chapter 11: Desert Dilemma

**Chapter 11: Desert Dilemma**

… _The Steam Vault…_

"How is this possible?" asked a shocked and appalled Apple, "how can The Storybook of Legends be a fake?"

"I don't know," said Avery, "but after everything we've been through, I think we at the very least deserve some answers."

He then walked over to the workshop door, "Get this thing open again!"

"But you guys just got back," said Ian.

"Well, we're leaving again," said Tobias.

"And this time we're going back to Ever After," said Cupid.

"Just what is The Storybook of Legends?" asked Clair.

"Just about every fairytale you can imagine is in it," said Tobias, "I mean the classics."

"Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and so on," said Avery.

"There're nursery rhymes in the book too but that's not important right now," said Cupid.

"Ever generation of fairytale characters have signed their names into the book," said Tobias, "every descendent of the original characters have, literally, signed their futures away to reenact the same stories over and over again."

"All for the irrational delusions of our 'illustrious' Headmaster Grimm," said Raven as she stood up.

"Are you alright?" asked Frankie, "you were kinda having a fit just now."

"I'm okay now," said Raven, "I just needed to get it all out," she then giggled for a second, "oh, guess I still have a few in me."

"I told you, you should have had some of this tea," said Maddie seriously. She then sipped from her cup, "it'll chase those grim giggles away before you know it."

"I'm alright, Maddie," said Raven. She then looked at Frankie and the others from Monster High, "so, basically, Milton Grimm has been lying to the people of our world for generations, manipulating the lineage of the original characters into replaying their roles."

"Why?" asked Lagoona, "why would he do that? Wait, I know, he's one fudged up bloke."

"He almost had me convinced I'd go 'poof!' if I didn't sign the book and become the next Evil Queen," said Raven. "so yes, he's nuts."

"More like a man with a serious case of delusional psychosis," said Ian, while Lance and Jessie nodded in agreement.

"Megalomania," said Lance, "he sees himself as some kind of deity, controlling the destinies of the mere mortals."

"He certainly manipulated my family," said an exasperated Dexter, "so many generations of Charming's as princes who gets the princess and live happily ever after, while I was being set up to be a heroic martyr."

"Long story," said Raven to Frankie, "anyway, we wound up with the book after Grimm had a heart attack."

"We tried to use the book to figure out how to better fight Obsidian," said Avery, "when Raven sensed something was wrong with it."

"Of course there was something wrong with it," said Maddie, "Giles Grimm told me so."

"I wonder how he's doing?" Cupid asked, "Headmaster Grimm's brother. Does he still have that babble curse?"

"We'll find out when we get home," said Raven.

"Long story short," said Avery to Frankie, "after a long set of quests and magic spells, we found out that Grimm put a spell on the book, turning it from a chronicle of the stories to an enchanted item that can enslave people into predetermined destinies." He then frowned, "now that I think about it, that would mean it never was The Storybook of Legends, not the one Grimm wanted it to be that is."

"Then it all was lies," said Apple, "all our destinies and the destinies of our forbearers, they were all lies."

"I kept telling you that you were free to write your own story," said Raven, "that your destiny could be anything you wanted it to be."

"I wanted the destiny prepared for me!" insisted Apple, "I wanted a safe, secure future with a happy ending, and I still do."

"Even if that future is based on lies?" asked Clawdeen.

"And you were looking forward to it?" asked Frankie, "to being betrayed and poisoned by your friend?"

"Oh, please don't start that again," said Apple, "yes, I know, Raven would have had to poison me in order for me to fall into an enchanted sleep."

"Then Daring would come and kiss you awake and you'd both live happily ever after, yes, we know," said Raven, "but don't you see, Apple? None of that matters anymore."

"It does to me!" said Apple irately, "all I've ever wanted was a safe, secure happy ending; no uncertainly, no unforeseen events, no unexpected twists of fate."

"So you would have been satisfied acting out a story that's been retold over and over again?" asked Elissabat, "I don't believe it! I don't believe any of you people would have been satisfied."

"Well, yes, a lot of our forbearers were satisfied," said Dexter, "not everyone, but most."

"I still don't believe it," said Elissabat, "I've been in the acting business for a long, long time. I've seen actors of all sorts in the arts; Monsters and Normies. I've known actors and actresses whom were ready to murder their fellows to play a coveted role, be it on film, television, radio or stage, and believe me; I've been in all four mediums."

"You were on TV and radio?" asked Clawdeen.

"And on stage?" asked Lagoona.

"I wasn't always a Hauntlywood star," said Elissabat, "remember, I spent some time in Londoom and worked with William Spooksphere at The Globe."

"Then you went to America and spent some time on a riverboat around New Gorleans," said Frankie, "we know."

"Well, in between my stints on stage," said Elissabat, "and before I hit it big in the movies, I played a lot of small parts in radio and television during the 30's to late 50's."

"Anything we would know?" asked Jackson, while Ghoulia tried to search online, only to sigh with exasperation when she remembered The Steam Vault wasn't connected to her world's internet.

"Nothing you'd recognize," said Elissabat, "but anyway," she looked at Apple, "you can't honestly expect me to believe that you and your people were happy to replay the same roles again and again."

"Well, it's not like we'd reenact the stories every day for the rest of our lives," said Raven, "all we had to do is retell our respective stories once and then pass them on to the next generation."

"And that's it?" asked Elissabat, "one role and then exit stage left?"

"It doesn't work that way," said Apple, "I was supposed to take over from my mother as the next ruler of our realm after being woken by my 'prince charming.' That is the happy ending of Snow White, of every Snow White," she then sighed and sat down, "and now it's over. No more happy ending for any of us."

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Raven, "you can't be serious! Of course you can have your happy ending! You'll just have to make it yourself!"

"It won't be the happy ending I wanted," said Apple, "I mean, what I used to want, I…I mean, after everything that's happened, I…I don't know what I want anymore."

"And what about him?" asked Cupid as she pointed at Avery, "is he what you want? Because after all the intimate moments you've been having over the past few weeks is any indication to this demigoddess, he's your happy ending, assuming we live to reach that ending that is."

"She's right," said Avery. He then walked over and sat next to Apple, "I don't know what the future holds any more than you do, Apple, but this I know; I'll do everything in my power to defeat Obsidian in order to protect the happiness of all those with goodness in their hearts."

He then placed Apple's hand in his, "and I'll do whatever I have to do to ensure that you have a happy ending, whatever it may be."

"And…if that happy ending is one where you're not in it?" asked Apple, "will you be alright with that?"

"Whatever makes _you_ happy," said Avery, "that's all that matters."

"Well, your happiness matters too, you know," said Apple, "I'd never forgive myself if someone else sacrificed their own happiness for my own."

At that Maddie let out a loud cough that only partly covered her saying 'Hypocrite!'

"Sorry," said Maddie normally, "a bit of a crumpet stuck in my throat."

Just then Ghoulia moaned in triumph as she pressed the ENTER key on her laptop.

"Ah, we've established the wormhole to Ever After," said Preston.

"About time," said Raven as the door opened, only for Briar to knock her down hard as she rushed in.

"APPLE!" shouted Briar joyfully as she violently shoved Avery aside and hugged Apple, "you're okay! Thank goodness!"

"I'm perfectly fine, Briar," said a slightly uncomfortable Apple as Briar hugged her tightly.

"I'm fine too, thank you very much," said Raven as Dexter helped her up.

"Wow, this place is so cool!" said Hunter as he and Ashlynn walked in.

"It's so…so…" said Ashlynn as she struggled to find the right words.

"So steam punk?" suggested Jackson.

"Eh… it's alright," said Madison as she walked in, "wait till you see our setup. Then you'll be impressed."

Old friends were reacquainted and new friendships were formed as our heroes from Ever After and Monster High mingled. It wasn't long before Apple, Avery, Raven, Dexter and Maddie, were with Frankie, Lagoona, Clawdeen, Chad, Clair, Ian, Lance and Jessie at The Base.

"Okay, we're here," said Raven as she and her friends settled back in The Base, "now what's this about The Storybook of Legends being a fake?"

"You mean this thing?" Poppy O'Hair as her twin, Holly, carried the book up to Raven and the others.

"It's a long story, Raven," said Briar as she walked back through the wormhole.

"It's my fault," said Cedar as she sat down with our heroes, "if only I hadn't looked at the book with my Revealer Rays, none of this would know this horrible truth."

"I wouldn't exactly call it horrible," said Cerise, "a pain in the fur, but annoying." She then realized that Clawdeen was uncomfortably close to her, sniffing her with intense interest, "can I help you with something?" asked an annoyed Cerise.

"She's just trying to get to know you, mate," said Lagoona.

"Yeah," said Kitty as she flashed in next to Cerise and Clawdeen, startling them both, "she's just being friendly. I thought you wolves were social creatures."

"We are," said an irate Clawdeen, "and we don't like being startled like that."

"It's how I roll," said Kitty, "if you don't like it, too bad." She then flashed out, her trademarked grin being the last to vanish.

"You'll get used to her," said Cupid as she and Tobias walked in.

"Holy crap! What happened to you?!" exclaimed Lance as he, Chad, Clair, Jessie, Ian, Lagoona and Clawdeen stared at Cupid.

"Oh," said Cupid as she realized she had changed form back to what she appears as in Ever After, "yeah, this happens to me when I cross worlds."

"It's a demigoddess thing," said Tobias.

"Obviously," said a still startled Jessie.

"Can we get back to the important part?" asked Briar, "the book that's caused so much trouble for us all."

"How did you figure out that it's a fake?" asked Avery.

"And what are Revealer Rays?" asked Dexter, "and where's Daring?"

"Topside, patrolling for Worms," said Cerise, "the Worm Mother may be dead, but you can't be too careful."

"As for Revealer Rays," said Briar, "they're Cedar's gift for her in Legacy Hall."

"Legacy Hall?" asked Raven, "I thought that place only appeared during…"

"During Thronecoming," said Briar, "yes, it's that time of year."

"My goodness," said Apple, "have we been fighting Obsidian for so long, we've lost track of time?"

"What's Thronecoming?" asked Frankie.

"Like Homecoming," said Cupid, "big game at school and a big dance afterwards."

"And the time when the current Legacy students receive gifts left by their forbearers," said Cerise, "Blondie received a pair of enchanted running shoes from her mom," she then pulled out an elaborately woven wicker basket, "while my mom left me this little wonder! It has compartments for food and other supplies; there's a tool kit, a first aid kit, a compass, a collapsible tent and just about everything else you need to survive an emergency. Plus, it has a really great security lock."

"Our mom left us these enchanted hairbrushes," said Holly as said hairbrushes went to work on her hair and Poppy's.

"They're great when you don't have a free hand," said Poppy, "but getting them to stop isn't as easy," she then glared at her hairbrush as it still worked on her hair, "okay, that's enough already!"

"I got an enchanted neck pillow," said a slightly annoyed Briar, "for when I was supposed to sleep for a hundred years, not like I'll need it." She then smiled, "oh, you have gifts as well."

"Great-grandpa's watch!" squeed Maddie as Cerise handed her a gold pocket watch, "it always runs two days slow, but it's got other functions."

"Your mom left you this, Apple," said Cedar as she handed Apple a ring made of a slightly glowing silverish metal.

"A mithril ring!" said an impressed Cupid.

"And not just any ring," said a awestruck Apple as she held the ring in her hand, "it's my ancestor's wedding band."

"Of course! That ring!" said Dexter, "the original Prince Charming, after he woke the original Snow White up, he officially proposed to her the next day and they were soon married. But my ancestor didn't have a ring with him at the time."

"So he went to the original Seven Dwarves and asked if they could make one," said Apple, "they crafted this ring and imbued it with Dwarf Runes for protection against future curses and evil intent."

"Oh, yeah, those are runes alright," said a still impressed Cupid as she and the others got a closer look at the ring.

"You should put it on, then," said Raven.

"I agree," said Avery, "if that ring is as powerful a protection item as I think it is, then you should wear it from now on."

Apple looked at the ring with longing, not just for the protection it offered, but because of the connection it bore, a connection with her famed ancestor.

Sighing, Apple put the ring in her pocket, "no, I don't deserve to wear it now. But enough about me, what's Raven's legacy gift?"

"That's…that's something she needs to see for herself," said Briar as Cerise brought out a long, narrow wooden box and handed it to Raven. She opened the box and gasped in surprise and horror.

"Don't keep us in suspense, ghoulfriend!" said Clawdeen, "What is it?"

Slowly, Raven pulled from the box a wand made from purple wood.

At the sight of the wand, Apple let out a gasp of shock as her hand went to her mouth.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Dexter as he hastily cleaned his glasses, then gasped in shock, "it is!"

"It's just a wand," said Frankie, "we've got magic users on our world and they use wands all the time."

"This is no ordinary magic stick for conjuring cantrips, my friend," said Maddie, "that's the wand of The Evil Queen."

"My ancestor's wand," said Raven, " _the_ family wand."

"Your mother must have wanted you to have it," said Tobias.

"Rebecca Queen didn't leave it for Raven," said Lizzie irately as she walked into the room, "it was taken from her by force."

"Oh, right," said Tobias.

"I don't get what the big deal is," said Clawdeen.

"Raven's mother wasn't content being the villain of one story," said Dexter, "she wanted to be the greatest villain of them all. She tried to take over all of Ever After."

"And wrecked Wonderland in the process, the bitch!" snapped Lizzie, "if she were here, it'd be OFF WITH HER HEAD time."

"Take it away," said Raven as she placed the wand back in its box and pushed it away, "I don't want it! Take it away and leave it!"

"Raven, don't be so hasty," said Briar, "this is a magic wand we're talking about."

"We know you've gotten a lot better with your magic," said Cerise, "but if that wand is as powerful as the legends say it is, then your magic will be that much stronger."

"And that much darker!" said Raven irately, "this is the wand my ancestor originally brewed the poison that cursed Apple's ancestor, while my other ancestors used it for other horrible things. But my mother, she was the worst." She then looked down at the wand with revulsion, as if fearing it would taint her, "it's evil, pure and simple."

"I always thought that wands choose their wielders," said Frankie, "at least they do in some of the books I've read."

"It's just a magic item, Raven," said Dexter, "sure, it's been used for evil, but does that make _it_ evil? Does that make _you_ evil?"

"No," said Raven in a much calmer, more confident tone, "it doesn't." she then closed the lid on the box.

"You're not keeping it?" asked Briar.

"I'm not throwing it away," said Raven, "something this powerful shouldn't be tossed out like garbage. But I still don't feel comfortable using it. I'll keep it safe until I decide what to do."

"Well, it's your legacy gift," said Briar.

"But what about Cedar's gift?" asked Apple, "just what are Reveler Rays?"

"These are Reveler Rays," said Cedar as she pulled out a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses and put them on, "with these, I can spot any lie in sight; be it a lie spoken by someone or a falsehood in an object."

"Oh really?" asked Jessie. She then smiled mischievously, "let's play a game of 'Spot the Liar.' I once bungee jumped off a bridge."

"I once ate fifty eggs in an hour without throwing up," said Ian.

"I've got nothing to hide," said Lance.

"He's lying," said Cedar as she pointed at Ian, then at Lance, "and so is he. Jessie's telling the truth"

"You bungee jumped off a bridge?" asked Clair, "are you insane?"

"Depends on the mood I'm in," said Jessie.

"Let me try something," said Chad. He then pulled out two pieces of paper, wrote on them, folded them up and placed them on the table, "both of these have X's on them."

"Only one has an X," said Cedar, "the one on the left."

At that Chad unfolded the papers, revealing that the one on the left was an X, while the other had a Z.

"So how did you found out that The Storybook of Legends isn't real," said Raven.

"We were looking at it with The Eyes of Effervescence," said Cerise, "we hoped that it might have something about how to help you guys."

"Did find anything?" asked Tobias.

"Nothing but random tidbits and nonsense," said Lizzie, "which when translated into Riddlish makes perfect sense. But the real brainteasers were the pictures"

"We saw pictures of people and places we'd never seen before," said Kitty as she handed a small stack of drawings to Avery, Apple and Raven, "we copied them as best we could."

"That's definitely Monster High," said Frankie as she and the others looked at one of the drawings, then at another "and, Oh My Ghoul! That's us!"

"Yeah, that's definitely the Ghoulfriends," said Cupid as she looked at the drawings, "but what about these? Who are these people?"

"And where are these places?" asked Lagoona.

"No idea," said Briar, "anyway…"

"I walked in," said Cedar impatiently, as if bursting to tell, "wearing my Revealer Rays. I took one look at the book and my Rays said that there was something wrong with it. A closer look told me that the book wasn't The Storybook of Legends at all. It never was."

"I knew that!" said Maddie incredulously, "Giles Grimm told me there was something wrong with the book."

"You knew?" asked Apple.

"Well, he didn't say exactly what was wrong with the book," said Maddie, "I just asked him if Raven would go 'poof' or not if she didn't sign."

"Well, I didn't," said Raven, "and won't. None of us will go 'poof!' Milton Grim lied to us!"

"He's been lying for a long time," said Briar. She then held up the fake Storybook of Legends, "this book is nothing more than a chronicle disguised as the real Storybook of Legends."

"Was there ever a Storybook of Legends?" asked Dexter, "maybe Grimm's been faking it all this time."

"Who knows?" asked a slightly depressed Apple.

"I know who does," says Briar, "Milton Grimm, that's who! All this time he's been forcing generations of characters into signing their destinies away with no idea that they were free live as they pleased!"

"My mother and father could have had an open relationship!" exclaimed Cerise, "they could have had a real wedding!"

"So many forced romances," said an outraged Cupid, "so many soul mates forced apart, so many broken hearts, so much denied happiness!"

"So many good people forced into being evil," said Raven. "How could he do it!? How could Grimm be so selfish and…and…and…"

"Heartless?" suggested Frankie.

"Exactly!" said Raven. She then got up and headed for The Base's elevator.

"Where are you going?" Dexter asked as he stood up.

"I'm gonna find where they took Grimm and give that control freak of a headmaster a piece of mind!" said Raven irately, "I don't know what I'll do when I find him but I'll figure out something to make him pay for all the lives he's ruined!"

"Raven! Wait!" said Apple as she got up and caught up with her, "don't be hasty and do something you'll later regret."

"The only thing I'm regretting is not standing up to Grimm sooner!" said Raven.

"That's no reason to resort to violence!" said Apple.

"Maybe, but it'll make me feel better," said Raven, "and I'm surprised you're not angry too, Apple!"

"I am angry!" said Apple, "all this time, my destiny and the destinies of every Snow White after the first, all our destinies, they're all lies! My life has been a lie! My mother's life has been a lie! My mother could have been an architect! Did you know she wanted to study architecture?"

"I could have been a scholar," said Dexter, "and so could so many men in my family! Instead, we were all forced into being Charming princes!"

"So many restless nights," said Duchess, "all those recurring nightmares about drowning."

"I could have been on my way to being a rock star," said Sparrow.

"You are on your way to being a rock star," said a slightly annoyed Duchess.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have had Grimm breathing down my neck about being a thief," said Sparrow. "It's really frustrating to have your dreams constantly poked at by someone trying to make you be something you're not deep down inside."

"Damn right, it is!" said Raven, "aren't you frustrated, Apple?"

"I am!" exclaimed Apple, "I'm so frustrated, I could scream!" She then inhaled deeply and let out a cry of angst so loud that it carried over through the wormhole to The Steam Vault, a cry so loud that everyone who heard it had to cover their ears.

"My…what incredible lung capacity you have," said an impressed Cerise after Apple finished her scream.

"Feeling better?" asked Raven.

At that Apple sighed with disappointment, "no, not really." She then sat down and sighed again, "I honestly don't know what to think anymore.

"Well, I know what I'm thinking," said Raven, "I'm thinking about getting the truth from Grimm for once, one way or another."

"I'm with you, Raven," said Briar irately, "that fat fink thinks he can get away with manipulating entire generations into doing what he wanted, he's got another thing coming!"

"Darn right!" said Hunter as he stood up and cracked his knuckles, while Ashlynn nodded with determined agreement.

"Now, hold on," said Apple as she stood up again, "let's not resort to violence without due cause. Yes, Headmaster Grimm has lied to all of us; he's lied to a lot of people and is guilty of who knows what other crimes."

"Then let's go punish him before he commits another crime!" said Hunter, to which Briar, Cerise and a lot more shouted in agreement.

"NO!" exclaimed Apple, "you misunderstood! We can't act as judge, jury and executioner!"

"She's right," said Avery, "we should, at least, give the man a chance to explain himself before we condemn him."

"That's my job," said Lizzie as she sharpens a new scythe, "and I say OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" She then blushed slightly, "sorry, I meant to say, 'let him explain himself, then OFF WITH HIS HEAD!'"

"No, no head chopping," said Raven, "I just want to know the truth."

Just then Robecca stuck her head through the wormhole, "Frankie! You ghouls had better get back here right now!"

"Looks like the truth is going to have to wait," said Frankie as she and the others from Monster High ran back through the wormhole. They were joined by Apple, Avery, Raven, Dexter and Briar, whom stood with them next to Robecca, Jackson and Ghoulia.

"We've decrypted another message from our friends," said Jackson.

"This time it's from Jinafire and Skelita," said Robecca, "they're holding up in the desert near the border with Hexico."

"Any sign of Kaijin?" asked Clair.

"No," said Jackson, "but the message was posted several hours ago, so there's no telling what happened since."

"Then we'd better find them before something does happen," said Clawdeen, at which Frankie and Lagoona nodded in agreement.

At that Ghoulia moaned something as she typed into her laptop.

"'We're going to have to close the wormhole in order to reopen it near Jinafire and Skelita,'" Jackson translated.

"Looks like you've got to go back home, Briar," said Apple.

"Are you kidding?" asked Briar incredulously, "I'm staying to help you guys! I'm a Rider now and I'm itching to take out some Kaijin."

"You won't be so eager to fight these Kaijin after you see them," said Dexter, "Fangire and Orphnochs aren't like Worms."

"All the more reason for me to help," said Briar.

"Can we help too?" asked Ashlynn as she and Hunter stepped through the wormhole, "I've got these new hiking boots I've been meaning to try out."

"And I'm ready to get back into fighting the good fight," said Hunter.

"Would you mind if I sat this next fight out?" asked Cupid, "I've got to get a few things from Ever After," she indicated the arrows she was fletching, "these are good arrows, but I need materials from Ever After; they're more effective against Kaijin that way, they just are."

"Two can help gather materials for arrows faster than one," said Tobias.

"I wouldn't mind visiting Ever After," said Jessie, "who knows, I might find something that'll help us be better Riders."

"And I'd like to get acquainted with Ever After's fauna," said Venus.

"Well, if anyone else wishes to cross dimensions, do it now," said Frankie, "the sooner we can get to Jinafire and Skelita, the better; I don't like that they haven't sent any updates."

It was quickly decided that Briar, Ashlynn and Hunter would stay on the Steam Vault's side of the wormhole, while Ian, Jessie and Lance, as well as Tobias, Cupid and Venus, would go cross over to The Base in Ever After.

Just as Jackson was about to close the door and reset the wormhole, everyone heard a familiar voice shouting.

"Wait! Don't close it yet!"

Blondie rushed through the wormhole, her mirror tablet in a carrying case, as well as a bag full of magical flash drives and a recharger cable.

"No way am I missing out on documenting this side of the fight," said Blondie, she then looked back through the wormhole, "toss me my bags, would you?"

Several suitcases and overnight bags were then thrown through the wormhole.

"Thank you!" said Blondie as she closed the door behind her.

"Moving in, are we?" asked a slightly suspicious Lagoona.

"Of course," said Blondie, "not only do I have to go with you guys on every mission from now on and document it, I've got to interview you all in order to get caught up."

"I don't mind being interviewed," said Frankie, "but I don't feel comfortable taking you out to fight Kaijin."

"You could end up impaled by an Orphnoch or sucked dry by a Fangire," said Apple, "I'd never forgive myself, Blondie, if something were to happen to you."

"Oh, please, Apple," said Blondie, "you know that I can take care of myself. If I can survive the Three Bears and hordes of Worms, all the while getting some incredible footage of Kaijin battles, not to mention several breathtaking slow motion shots of exploding Worms. I just wouldn't feel satisfied if I didn't get some shots of destroyed Orphnochs and Fangire, it just wouldn't be right."

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to have someone document our exploits," said Elissabat, "call me a selfish starlet if you wish, but I feel much more comfortable if I'm on camera."

"And there isn't a lock Blondie can't pick," said Ashlynn.

"There won't be any locks where we're going," said Chad.

"True," said Blondie, "but you never know what you might find."

"Oh, just let her come already!" said an eager Briar, bouncing on her heals in anticipation of the coming adventure.

"Alright, you can come," said a reluctant Apple.

"YES!" squealed Blondie as she jumped for joy and hugged Apple.

"But you're not to take any unnecessary chances," said Apple in an admonishing manner, "you're to do exactly as I say without question. If I say run for it, you run, even if you're filming a fight."

"Let's just hope you don't have to fight," said Robecca as Ghoulia programed the wormhole. It was decided that Chad, Clair, Elissabat, Frankie, Briar, Apple and Blondie would go through the wormhole to rescue Jinafire and Skelita.

"We'll go on the next mission," said a slightly uncomfortable Ashlynn as she looked around The Steam Vault, "I've got plenty of work to do right here."

"What kind of work?" asked Hunter.

"Cleaning, silly!" said Ashlynn, "this place is filthy!"

"I beg your pardon!" exclaimed Robecca, "my father's workshop isn't filthy!"

"Not after the cleaning we gave it," said Lagoona, while Clawdeen nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah?" asked Ashlynn as she walked over to one of the tables and ran her finger on it, "there's at least a hundred years' worth of filth you missed."

"Don't argue with her," said Hunter, "she's descended from Cinderella. Trust me, she knows how to clean."

"Uh, yeah," said Frankie as the door opened and revealed a mountainous desert landscape on the other side. With that she, Elissabat, Clair, Chad, Briar, Blondie and Apple walked through the wormhole.

"Good luck and be safe!" said Clawdeen.

"And if you need us, we're available!" said Lagoona, only to have a bottle of cleaning fluid, a scrub brush and a pair of rubber gloves shoved into her hands by Ashlynn.

"Please, call us for anything!" pleaded Clawdeen as Ashlynn shoved a vacuum cleaner into her hands, just as the door swung shut, leaving Chad, Clair, Elissabat, Frankie, Briar, Apple and Blondie on the other side.

"Uh…if you're a vampire," said a worried Briar to Elissabat.

"Why am I not on fire?" asked Elissabat as she waved her arms around and turned in place in the sunlight, "as the Queen of the Vampires and bearer of The Vampire's Heart," said item around her neck glowing brightly, "I'm awarded certain powers and abilities."

"She's immune to sunlight," said Frankie as she pulled out her burner phone and checked for messages, exclaiming in surprise as she found one from Skelita and Jinafire, "They're in trouble! They're trapped in a cave and there's Orphnoch outside!"

"We know they're in trouble," said Chad, "any chance they said anything about where to find them?"

"Especially in all of this?" asked Clair as she indicated the mountainous desert around them.

"It's not that bad," said Blondie as she filmed the landscape with her mirror tablet, "this'll be a perfect opening shot for my documentary."

"Well, while you're filming," said Frankie as she read more of the message, "want to find a cave that looks like Bronson Canyon?"

"Bronson Canyon?" asked Chad, "but that's in California, and we're in…" he then looked around in confusion, "where are we, anyway?"

"Somewhere in New Hexico," said Clair as she checked her phone's GPS.

"What does Bronson Canyon look like?" asked Briar.

"If you're a fan of classic B movies and old TV," said Chad, "you'd know what Bronson Canyon looks like."

"There!" shouted Blondie as she used her tablet to zoom in on a cave in the distance, "is that what it looks like?!"

"Huh, that does kinda look like Bronson canyon," said Chad as he and the others looked at the enhanced image.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" exclaimed Briar, "let's go save them!" with that she rushed towards the cave.

"Wait!" shouted Clair as she and the others followed. The caught up with Briar just outside the cave.

"Jinafire! Skelita!" shouted Briar, "where are you?!"

As if in answer, several spherical objects fell among our heroes and exploded, releasing profuse clouds of tear gas that left them coughing and unable to see.

Before Frankie and the others could react, several gray-clad humans wearing gas masks rushed in and restrained them with handcuffs.

"Well, well, well," said Shadow Acolyte Fabian as he walked up to our heroes once the wind blew away the tear gas, "a bunch of stupid teenagers wandering in the desert and get into trouble. I've seen SyFy movies with better plot lines."

"Don't you knock on The SciFi Channel!" snapped Chad, "it was great before they changed it!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Fabian after he took off his gas mask, "and what was so great about it? A bunch of reruns and bad movies?"

"Classics!" snapped Chad, "the original Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Dark Shadows, The Outer Limits, not to mention the Irwin Allen quadrilogy; Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants."

"Hey, some of SyFy's original shows are great," said Clair, "the new Battlestar Galactica, Haven, Continuum, Z-Nation…"

"Yeah, yeah, their shows are ok," said Fabian, "but can you justify _four_ Sharknado movies?"

"Okay, you've got me there," said Clair.

"Never mind that crud!" shouted Frankie as her neck bolts sparked furiously, "where's Jinafire and Skelita?"

"The young dragon lady and bone girl?" asked Fabian as he smiled insidiously, "ask them yourself."

Two Orphnochs then brought over Skelita and Jinafire, the two ghouls's expressions blank as they didn't resist, nor did they react to the sight of Frankie and the others.

"What did you do to them?!" demanded Frankie.

"Exposed them to the enthralling vapors, of course," said Fabian as he pulled out one of the enthralling masks and a container of the gas. "And now, it's your turn, Frankie Stein. Bring her!"

"NO!" shouted both Chad and Clair as two more Orphnochs grabbed Frankie and dragged her over to Fabian and forced her to stand up.

"You leave her alone, you jerk!" snapped Blondie.

"You're one of those freaks from Ever After," said Fabian, "a shame that the vapors aren't meant to be used on humans." He then looked at Apple, "on the other hand, how fortunate am I to have had Apple White fall into my hands? Imagine the look on Irvin's face when I deliver you to his hands? What a surprise it'll all be!"

"He doesn't know about this?" asked Apple.

"He doesn't even know I'm here," said Fabian, "I followed a hunch and wound up catching these two freaks," he pointed at Skelita and Jinafire, "and imagine my surprise when I found out that the whole lot of you freaks have your own private communications network?" he then held up two burner phones, "and imagine my surprise when you fell for my little ruse?"

"You lured us here," said Chad, "so now what? You've told Irvin how to find our friends?"

"Haven't told him yet," said Fabian, "All part of the big surprise I'm planning for him."

"So he really doesn't know what's going on here?" asked Frankie as she smiled mischievously. Chad and the others then saw Frankie undo the stitches on her left hand, allowing the appendage to fall to the ground and skitter undetected over to Chad.

"It'll be a complete surprise," said Fabian, "and my ticket to a promotion; perhaps I'll be elevated to Master, or even Grandmaster."

"You have ranks?" asked Chad as he felt Frankie's hand behind him. He then heard a slight metal sound, guessing that the hand was somehow picking the lock on his cuffs.

"Oh, absolutely," said Fabian, "We Shadow Acolytes take rank and title very seriously. Newcomers to our conclave begin as Novices, while our overall leader, Exalted Zotarius, he's well over a thousand years old."

"How old are you?" asked Frankie as she continued to stall for time, while her hand finished Chad's cuffs and was now skittering over to Briar.

"I'll be 126 next week," said Fabian, "and I was recently promoted to Adept."

"Really?" asked an impressed Frankie, "126? What's your secret?"

"Magic, of course," said Fabian, "that and a really great healthcare program."

"Hey! What's that?!" shouted one of the Orphnochs.

"What's what?" asked Fabian as he looked to where the Orphnoch was pointing, right at Frankie's hand as it scurried away from Briar towards Clair.

"Oh, trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?!" demanded Fabian as he glared at Frankie, "little miss 'I can detach my body parts' thinks she can outwit a Shadow Acolyte Adept?" he then slapped Frankie across the face so hard, she was knocked back several paces.

"You bastard!" shouted Briar as she stood up, her handcuffs falling from her wrists, while at the same time TheBee Zecter appeared out of a small portal over her head.

"You'll pay for hurting her!" said Briar as her Henshin Brace appeared on her wrist, while she caught TheBee Zecter in her other hand. "Henshin!" she said as she slid and snapped TheBee Zecter into place on her wrist.

 **HENSHIN**

Energy hexagons flowed from the Zecter, materializing over Briar as the Masked from of TheBee. But whereas Clare's form of TheBee was yellow and black, Briar's form had shades of pink.

"Oh for crying out loud," said Fabian, "Get her!"

At that the Orphnochs assumed their true forms and rushed at TheBee, whom reacted by grabbing the closest Orphnoch and threw it over her shoulder, then kicked another in the torso hard enough to knock it back.

"Hey, save some for me!" said Chad as he threw away his handcuffs, put on his Faiz Gear, pulled out his Faiz Phone and began dialing.

 **5 5 5**

 **STANDING BY**

"Henshin!" shouted Chad as he lifted the phone up, then brought it down and clicked it into place on his belt.

 **COMPLETE**

Energy lines flowed up and down from the belt, materializing at Faiz with a flash of light. He then rushed at and fought one of the Orphnochs.

"This is just great!" said an irate Clair as she struggled to break free of her handcuffs, "they're doing all the fighting and we're still tied up!"

"We're not tied up, we're handcuffed," said Blondie, "which makes recording the battle virtually impossible. My exposé isn't off to a good start."

"You're worried about that?" asked an incredulous Elissabat, "we're handcuffed and in dire straits, and all you care about is your journalistic career? I've known paparazzi with more sense of priorities than you."

"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" said Apple, "but you do have a point. Blondie, would you mind getting us out of these unseemly cuffs?"

"Huh? Oh!" said Blondie, "right, just a second." She then furrowed her brown in concentration as she slipped her handcuffs off.

"How'd you do that?!" an astonished Clair asked.

"She's the daughter of Goldie Locks, of course," said Apple.

"There's no lock I can't pick," said Blondie with a confident smile.

"Is that so?" asked Fabian as he stood in front of Blondie, "well, then, I'll just have to snuff out your bloodline once and for all!" he then began chanting in a language that reverberated with dark magic.

A circle of dark purple energy formed on the ground, from which rose a mass of solidified shadow that pulsated with a dark purple energy. The mass then expanded into the shape of a tiger with a tail full of spikes and a mouth filled with rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"Is…is that a…a Manticore?" asked a visibly shaken Blondie, "I don't really like Manticores."

"Oh really?" asked Fabian, "I wonder what other fantastic beasts you're not fond of, wait…" he then frowned in thought, then smiled with sinister glee, "I just had a nutty idea that's just right."

With a wave of his hand while chanting a short spell, the Shadow Manticore disintegrated into a cloud of darkness. Another spell from Fabian and the cloud reformed into an enormous bear covered in thick, black fur. Here and there on its hide were scabbed lesions in various sickly colors.

"What…what is that thing?!" asked an appalled Apple.

"A Yao Gai," said Fabian as the Shadow Beast growled menacingly and stalked towards Blondie, whom looked absolutely terrified, "A mutated species of Black Bear from a world devastated by nuclear war. I know, a prime specimen, right?"

The Shadow Yao Gai then let out a deafening roar and charged at Blondie, whom ran as hard as she could away from the creature as it chased after her.

"You sick mother fracker!" shouted Clair.

"Exploiting an obviously repressed pathological fear?" asked Elissabat, "have you no sense of decency?"

"Since when has decency ever gotten anyone anything?" asked Fabian. He then glared at Elissabat, "now," he then pulled out a cartridge of enthralling gas and a matching mask, "as for you, _your highness_ , imagine how surprised Irvin will be when I deliver the deposed Queen of the Vampires to him?"

"What do you mean deposed?" asked Frankie as an Orphnoch dragged her over. Part of the stiches on her left leg had come undone and her leg was hanging limply.

"Frankie!" shouted Apple, Clair and Elissabat.

"Don't you hurt her!" shouted Clair

"Or what, you'll spit on me?" asked Fabian as he walked over to Frankie while loading the gas cartridge into the mask, "just you wait, your pain will come, and once you're enthralled, Frankie Stein, I'll make you do something really nasty and unforgivable, I just don't know what yet."

Before Frankie could resist, Fabian forced the mask on her. The gas was released into the mask with a loud CLICK. Frankie tried to hold her breath, but a twist of her arm from the restraining Orphnoch forced her to inhale the fumes.

"Welcome to the collective, Frankie Stein" said Fabian as he pulled the mask off and stepped back, "how do you feel?"

Instead of a look of blank compliance on her face, Frankie glared up at Fabian as her neck bolts sparked with outright fury, "how do you think I feel, you jerk!?"

With an earsplitting crackle of electricity, Frankie zapped the Orphnoch restraining her until it caught fire. Thrashing about as its body was consumed by blue flames, the creature was helpless as it crumbled to dust.

"What…how? HOW!?" demanded Fabian as he backed away from Frankie in horror.

"How come you're not a mind slave, Frankie?" asked Clair.

"I don't know," said Frankie as she used her left hand to stitch her leg back on and stood up, "I really don't know, I guess I'm immune."

"Well then," said an outraged Fabian as he charged up a sphere of dark magic, "I guess that makes you a freak among freaks! Now disappear!"

Just as he was about to throw the dark sphere at Frankie, something scurried up to and jumped onto Fabian's face, something that turned out to be Frankie's right hand.

"AAAAHHHH!" screamed Frabian as Frankie's hand skittered across his head, "GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF!"

Fabian finally managed to grab Frankie's hand by the wrist, only for the hand to lunge at his face and poke him in the eye. With a roar of disgust, Fabian threw Frankie's hand at her.

"You! How dare you touch me with your filthy freakiness!?" exclaimed Fabian.

"Hey, I keep my hands as clean as anyone," said Frankie as her hand attached itself to her arm and she began stitching it in place.

"Forget this," said Fabian, "you're all going to die anyway!" he then glared at the Orphnochs that were still fighting Faiz and TheBee, "kill them all!" He then summoned a shimmering gray door.

"Where do you think you're going?!" demanded Clair.

"Back home to take a couple of showers!" said Fabian, "I need to scrub myself raw to get the filth off!" with that he dashed through the door, which vanished after him.

"Jerk!" said Frankie as she finished stitching her hand back on, then hurried over and began picking the locks on Clair's handcuffs, "sorry it took so long, my hand needed a running start."

"What about Blondie?" asked Apple as she looked around. She saw Blondie, still running around the area, still being chased by the Shadow Yao Gai.

"That's interesting," said Elissabat as Frankie finished freeing Clair and began working on her cuffs, "the Shadow Beasts remain even if the summoner isn't present."

"Then let's take care of it, partner," said Clair boldly as Frankie freed Elissabat.

"NO! I've got it!" shouted TheBee as she fought off four Orphnochs, while Faiz only fought one. "I just need to take care of these jerks!" She then flipped the wings back on her Zecter.

"Oh, be careful Briar!" called Apple as energy crackled across the separating segments of TheBee's armor, "you could get hurt if you…"

"Cast Off!" shouted TheBee as she turned the Zecter around on her brace.

 **CAST OFF**

TheBee's armor segments blasted away, revealing the more streamline, adult wasp form beneath, while the armor segments hit two of the Orphnochs with enough force to knock them down.

 **CHANGE: WASP**

"Alright, you did that," said Apple as Frankie released her from her handcuffs. She stood up, rubbing her wrists, "but take it easy and don't…"

"Clock Up!" shouted TheBee as she pressed the button on her belt.

 **CLOCK UP**

Reality blurred and brightened as a rising and falling resonance could be heard. TheBee ran among the time-slowed Orphnochs and delivered to each a devastating combination of punches and kicks.

 **CLOCK OVER**

Time resumed its normal flow as five Orphnochs burst into blue flames and crumbled to dust.

TheBee, seeing that Blondie was still running for her life from the Shadow Yao Gai, rushed towards the nightmarish creature.

"Okay, help her, Briar," said Apple, "just don't…"

"Rider Sting!" said TheBee as she pressed the button on her Zecter.

 **RIDER STING**

Energy crackled across THeBee's arm as she closed in on the creature, passing a hysterically screaming Blondie. TheBee then ducked down as the Shadow Yao Gai, seeing a closer target, charged towards her for the kill. Just as the horrific creature was about to strike, TheBee struck first, delivering a devastating, tachyon-powered uppercut, causing the creature to explode.

Apple and the others then saw Faiz take out the Faiz Shot, the camera-like knuckleduster. He then loaded the memory-card device into the Faiz Shot.

 **READY**

Faiz then pressed the ENTER button on the phone.

 **EXCEED CHARGE**

A pulse of energy flowed from the phone up Faiz's arm and into the knuckleduster as he rushed at the remaining Orphnoch.

"Grand Impact!" shouted Faiz as he delivered a devastating haymaker to the creature, knocking it off its feet and onto the ground. A red circle with a diagonal line through it appeared as the creature bust into blue flames and crumbled into dust.

"Blondie!" shouted Apple as she, Clair and Elissabat grabbed the still hysterical daughter of Goldielocks, "Blondie, it's okay, it's over."

"That thing is gone," said Clair, "seriously, it is."

Slowly but surely, Blondie's frantic actions ceased, her breathing calmed as her pulse began slowing.

"It's okay, Blondie," said a reassuringly Apple, "you're safe now."

"I…I'm sorry, everyone," said Blondie as she lowered her head in shame, "I was supposed to help and I totally choked."

"You didn't choke," said Chad after he and Briar powered down, "you just…"

"Ran like a screaming chicken?" asked Briar, "hey, you were scared of that thing. Heck, if I wasn't powered up, I would have ran for my…" she then grimaced in pain, doubled over and fell to the ground.

"BRIAR!" shouted Blondie as she rushed over and helped Briar sit up.

"I hurt," groaned Briar, "I hurt all over! And I'm so dizzy, I'm gonna be sick!"

"Joint pain, loss of balance and nausea," said Apple.

"And I itch all over too!" exclaimed Briar as she began furiously scratching her arms and legs, "like there's bugs crawling under my skin!"

"All symptoms of decompression sickness," said Apple, "you'll be alright soon, Briar, but you really need to be careful when you use your powers on this world."

"Hey, I did alright in my first real battle as a Rider," said Briar.

"Yeah, but we still need to figure out how to stop you, Avery and the others from getting sick," said Apple.

"And what about us?" asked Clair, "what happens if Chad and I need to fight as Kiva and Faiz on your world? Will we get sick?"

"That's a…good question," said an uncomfortable Chad, dreading the thought of him suffering symptoms of The Bends after a fight.

"I think we have more pressing matters," said Elissabat as she looked at Jinafire and Skelita, whom had been sitting on the sidelines in near-catatonic states.

"My ghoul," said Frankie as she sat in front of Skelita and Jinafire, waving her hand in front of their placid, unresponsive faces, "they're really messed up. What do we do? What can we do?"

Yet Apple and the others were without answers.

* * *

 _…Monster High…_

"And that's everything, Mr. Weis," said a showered and raw-skinned Fabian as he stood in Bloodgood's office, while Irvin sat behind the headmistress's desk.

"Let me get this straight," said Irvin, "just to be sure I didn't miss anything; you left without informing me or any of the others, while taking six valuable Kaijin, with the full knowledge that we're somewhat shorthanded in that department; almost forty renegade Orphnochs and Fangire, inconceivable, utterly inconceivable.

"Anyway, you then tracked down what, in all likelihood, was a wild goose chase, grabbed and enthralled two escaped Monsters, then used them as bait for more escaped Monsters, and still you neglected to call it in.

"Then, just when you captured Frankie Stein and Elissabat of all monsters, not to mention Apple White and some of those wretched Kamen Riders, you then ruined everything by allowing them to break free, resulting in the loss of those six Orphnochs and the two enthralled monsters."

"I…I almost had Frankie Stein enthralled, Mr. Weis," said Fabian, "but…"

"Ah, yes, she proved immune," said Irvin, "that's the part I find rather hard to believe."

"As do I," said Valentine as he and Draculaura stood to one side, "my research into the enthralling vapors is foolproof; no Monster is immune to the gas."

"The stitched-up whore should be a slave by now," said Draculaura as she filed her nails. She then pointed the nail file accusingly at Fabian, "that is, if you weren't such an incompetent ass! You obviously performed the procedure wrong!"

"I did do it right!" exclaimed Fabian, "I loaded a fresh cartridge into the mask and made sure the mask had fully conformed to the target's face. I heard the gas release and Frankie Stein got a full blast of it! I did everything right!"

"Of course you did it right," said a sarcastic Valentine, "and yet Frankie's mind is still her own."

"I'm telling you she's somehow immune!" said Fabian.

"Enough!" snapped Irvin as he stood up, a look of cold fury in his eyes, "I've had enough of your excuses and lies. I should destroy you here and now for your incompetence!"

At that Fabian cringed and backed away into a corner, shielding his face with his hands against his impending doom.

But then Irvin calmed down, "however, if I did that, you would learn nothing, not to mention leave a rather unsightly mess all over the place."

"You could at least warn us when you're thinking about making a mess," said Valentine, "do you have any idea how hard it is to get human goo stains out of clothes?"

"Not as hard as the punishment he's going to receive," said Irvin as he glared at Fabian, "you're going to learn a valuable lesson in responsibility, honesty and an overall lesson on being a smarmy smartass." He then pressed a button on the desk's intercom and a pair of human-formed Fangire walked in.

"What are you going to do to me, Mr. Weis?" asked a terrified Fabian as the disguised Kaijin grabbed him by the arms.

"Haven't fully decided yet," said Irvin, "but the first part will involve a few whacks from The Hat of Discipline."

"NOOOOOO!" wailed Fabian as the two Fangire dragged him out of the office, "not The Hat of Discipline! Anything but The Hat of Discipline!"

"The Hat of Discipline?" asked Draculaura.

"Trust me," said Irvin, "you don't want to know."

"If it's that bad," said Valentine, "then I don't want to know. But I do want to know if he was indeed telling the truth."

"About Frankie Stein being immune to the gas?" asked Irvin.

"No one is immune!" said Draculaura, "and it takes a very, very long time for the enthralling effects to wear off, while the cure is almost as painful as anything we could make the victims do."

"Nevertheless," said Irvin, "it is a possibility that cannot be ignored, no matter how remote."

Just then the intercom buzzed. Irvin picked up a phone receiver, "yes?" he asked, "what? Now? Alright, I'll take care of it," with that he hung up.

"Now what?" asked Valentine.

"Neffra de Nile is here and demands a moment of my time," said Irvin in an exasperated tone, "apparently she's complaining of being bored."

"Bored?" asked Valentine, "how can she be bored? Her work has her traveling across the globe, on Obsidian's dime, running important errands."

"A world cruise with all expenses paid, how can you not be bored?" asked Draculaura.

"You'd be surprised," said Neffra de Nile as she sauntered into the office, "staying in the best hotels, eating the best food, even unlimited shopping, before you know it, it all becomes monotonous and lackluster, you're just going through the motions."

"Okay, so we'll set you up with more interesting accommodations," said Draculaura, "I hear there's some resorts that use authentically-constructed treehouses."

"It's more than that," said Neffra, "I'm tired of being Obsidian's errand girl."

"You're the official ambassador for the de Nile family," said Irvin, "reaching out to other Monster families and groups with Obsidian's offer of power and glory."

"Been there, done that," said Neffra, "ever since my father agreed to this little alliance, I've been to all six populated continents and brought over a dozen different groups of Monsters into the fold, and I'm already sick of it. I want a more thrilling, more challenging assignment."

"You want to be challenged?" asked Valentine, "okay, here's a challenge; find out where Frankie Stein and her friends went with the two Star Pieces we need? Or how about finding those renegade Orphnochs and Fangire?"

"Or why Frankie Stein was immune to the enthralling vapors?" asked Draculaura.

"Wait, Frankie's immune?" asked Neffra.

"We don't know that for sure," said Irvin.

"It's still a possibility," said Valentine.

"But we need more information before we act on that possibility," said Irvin. He then glared at Neffra, "you want a real challenge? Find a way to defeat those miserable, meddling Kamen Riders."

"Oh, having trouble are we?" asked Neffra, "an army of Kaijin not enough?"

"Apparently not," said an irked Draculaura, "so if you have any suggestions, we're all ears."

"As a matter of fact," said Neffra in a diabolically thoughtful manner, "I do."

"Well, spit it out, woman!" said Irvin, "at this rate, we'll run out of Kaijin and my head will be on a silver platter before The Obsidian Council."

"It's not really my idea," said Neffra as she pulled out her phone and sent a text, "but it's one I have at my disposal."

"You're beginning to draw my ire," said Irvin, "either tell me or get the hell out!"

"Fine," said an annoyed Neffra, "fine, no dramatics. Okay, long story short, I briefly dated this really smart kid in school in order to get him to help me ace a test and I stole some of his research."

"Why would you do that?" asked Draculaura.

"In case it would prove useful later," said Neffra as an Anubis-headed servant walked, knelt and handed a briefcase to Neffra, "and apparently it has." She unlocked the briefcase and showed the contents to Irvin, Draculaura and Valentine. Within the briefcase were several files of documents and half a dozen vials, each full of a glowing red liquid.

"That stuff isn't magic or radioactive, is it?" asked a slightly nervous Valentine, "I don't like messing with magic I haven't researched."

"And there's nothing worse than a radioactive vampire," said Draculaura, "you're stuck with the radiation until it wears off and no other vampire will associate with you, and there's nothing worse than being a lone vamp."

"Trust me, it's neither," said Neffra as she pulled out one of the vials of red fluid, "this, my friends, is ADAM."

"ADAM?" asked Valentine in a curious tone, "that sounds vaguely familiar."

"Me too," said Draculaura.

"Are you telling me that the nerd you cheated off of had access to Rapture!?" demanded Irvin.

"Just bits and pieces," said Neffra, "nothing I understand, but apparently he had enough and was smart enough to synthesize his own formula for a plasmid, one that can make any Monster stronger, faster and overall more deadly."

"Why would he want that?" asked Valentine, "no, never mind, does it work?"

"He never finished it," said Neffra, "he was distracted by another project and never realized I took it and a lot more of his stuff. But if it does work, then you can turn any of the enthralled Monsters into an unstoppable killing machine that'll tear those Kamen Riders limb from limb."

"If it works," said Irvin as he picked up some of the papers and began reading, "and according to this, it may just work; all we need is a suitable test subject; someone with a physical constitution capable of surviving genetic sequencing."

"I have just the boy in mind," said Draculaura with vicious glee.

"Clawd isn't here," said Irvin in a reprimanding tone.

"Oh, right," said Draculaura in a disappointed tone.

"We'll find the right one among the collective," said Valentine.

"In the meantime," said Irvin to Neffra, "you want something to do? Something even more important than recruiting other Monster groups? I want you to recruit that nerd you took advantage of."

"I don't know where he is," said Neffra, "I barely spoke to him after I passed that test and completely lost track of him after graduation. He could be dead for all I know and care."

"You should care," said Irvin, "if this boy could synthesize ADAM without an ADAM slug, and create a Plasmid for enhancing Monsters, who knows what other strokes of genius he's capable of? Now go track him down and bring him here."

"You want me, Neffra de Nile, to track down one of my old playthings?" Neffra asked, "and a one-shot plaything at that?" she then defiantly crossed her arms, "I may be evil, but I have standards. I won't do it!"

"It's either that or scrub out the bathrooms at Monster High," said Irvin, "it may be under new management, but we still need to keep the place clean."

"You wouldn't!" snapped Neffra.

"I would," said Irvin.

"Well, then," said a nervous Neffra, "I'd better start looking for my old fling then." She then turned to walk out, but turned back, "before I go, has anyone seen Cleo? I'd like to look in on my little sister and gloat."

"Oh, she's around, somewhere," giggled Draculaura, "in fact, you just missed her when you got here."

"Really?" asked Neffra.

"I'm not surprised you missed her," said Valentine, "but she was there in the front hall, standing there, with all those coats and hats on her."

"You mean…" said Neffra as she beamed a sinister smile, "that statue in the front hall…" she rushed out into the corridors. Seconds later, Irvin, Draculaura and Valentine heard Neffra's diabolical laughter echoing through the hallways.

"Using Cleo's petrified state as a coatrack," said Irvin, "I sometimes wonder if I've gone too far," he then shook his head, "and disregard such thoughts, not when there's work to be done."

* * *

 _…Dynatron Industries…_

"It'll never work," said Dr. Falchion as he, Drs. Stiletto and Scimitar, sat in his office in the corporate building that served as a front for Foundation X. "You'll never get funding for it."

"Why not?" asked Dr. Stiletto, "my research is sound and the device works in theory. I just need the money and material to build a working prototype."

"Yes, but it's a prototype that can be used only once," said Dr. Falchion.

"You're talking about building a doomsday weapon," said Dr. Scimitar, "a planet killer."

"Please, this is nothing like the Planet Killer from Star Trek," said Dr. Stiletto.

"But it can wipe out all life on a world," said Dr. Falchion, "if your theory is correct."

"It is correct," said an annoyed Dr. Stiletto, "and I'm sure there's criminal organizations, terrorist groups and evil overlords out there in the multi-verse who'll pay top dollar for their own doomsday machine."

"I'm sure they would," said Dr. Falchion, "but that is not what we do in Foundation X. Our task is to design and provide weapons, body enhancements and other methods of death for those who wish to be the best killers, not make products that can wipe out an entire planet full of potential customers."

"Well, what do you expect me to do?" asked Dr. Stiletto, "forget about my idea? Throw out all my research and let scores of hours of work go to waste?"

"I never said let it go to waste," said Dr. Falchion, "set it aside in a safe place. Far from me to discourage such an independent project, but now is not the time; we're on thin ice as it is."

"The upper echelon is still pissed that we messed things up in Ever After," said Dr. Scimitar.

"We didn't mess it up!" said an irate Dr. Stiletto, "that psychopath Claymore, and that brat Halbard, it's their fault, not to mention Cuthbert, Ophelia and Manfred, they're not without fault either."

"We're still under scrutiny from our superiors," said Dr. Falchion, "not to mention Dai Shocker, and let's not forget The Obsidian Council themselves. With Cuthbert and Manfred dead and Ophelia up her own creek without a paddle, the big baddies are still looking for someone to blame. The best we three can do for now is keep a low profile and go about business as usual."

"And what about our true business?" asked Dr. Stiletto, "our business with releasing Rebecca Queen?"

"So long as our faction within Foundation X remains a secret," said Dr. Falchion, "our true purpose remains that, true."

"And we're still a bit ahead of schedule," said Dr. Scimitar, "Phase One: free Rebecca Queen from her mirror prison, complete. Now we're into Phase Two; turn Clare Childs into the one Obsidian wants."

"Assuming she ever recovers," said Dr. Stiletto.

Just then a Foundation X technician burst into the room, "Dr. Falchion! Clare is awake!"

"She is?" asked Dr. Falchion as he, Stiletto and Scimitar stood up, "what are her vitals? Is she responsive and coherent?"

"We…don't know," said the technician nervously, "Rebecca Queen, she's locked the door to Clare's room; no one can get in."

"That narcissistic bitch!" snapped Dr. Falchion, "she'll ruin everything!" with that the three dark scientists rushed through the building to Clare's room. They found several more technicians standing around the door.

"We've tried everything short of blasting a hole in the wall, Dr. Falchion," said one of the technicians, "and even that won't work."

"Rebecca's surrounded the whole room with a magical barrier," said another technician.

"The hell she is!" spat Dr. Falchion. He walked up to the door and pounded it with his fists, "Rebecca Queen! Open this door! Open this door right now!"

"I don't think she can hear us," said Dr. Scimitar as used a scanning device, "that barrier blocks out sound and vibrations."

"It's a total privacy and security spell," said Dr. Stiletto, "let's face it, she's outsmarted some of the smartest of Foundation X."

"Well, we'd better outsmart her and right soon," said Dr. Falchion, "we've got to talk to Clare before Rebecca corrupts her first."

"She's already corrupted," said Dr. Scimitar, "Dr. Claymore saw to that. How much more messed up can she get?"

Inside the room Rebecca sat next to Clare's bed, holding the girl's hand in hers.

"So…you're my real mother?" asked Clare as she looked at the Evil Queen who went too far, "how's that possible? I know my parents; I don't particularly like them, but I know I'm their biological daughter."

"You can thank that bulbous buffoon, Milton Grimm, for implanting that lie in your life," said Rebecca, "after he stole you from me, he all but erased all evidence of your existence from Ever After, altered that evidence and seeded it on the Earth where you grew up. He had compulsion spells set on you so that anyone who tried to disprove your identity would forget they ever thought of it. As far as anyone on any world was concerned, that world, that country, that family, was yours."

"But, if he knew," said Clare, "if Grimm knew who I was, why didn't he react when he saw me? I mean, he didn't like me, he didn't like any of us, especially Avery."

"He made himself forget the whole affair," said Rebecca, "he said it was an embarrassment, a blemish on the perfect narrative he was maintaining. You know how desperate he was to keep things the way he wanted when Raven started her Rebellion. That was his way of dealing with an outbreak of teenage angst. With me, he erased every memory of you from my mind."

"I knew he was a control freak," said Clare grimly as her free hand clench with wrath, "but to make a mother forget her child, that she ever had that child, that's just sick!" She then looked at Rebecca, "but you do remember. How?"

"He may have altered my mind," she touched her forehead, then held her hand over her heart, "but not here. I had to lose everything that mattered to me; power, glory, Raven, to remember that I had something else stolen from me, something even more precious; you."

"I always thought we were alike," said Clare, "even before I was changed, before I realized my true nature, I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that Raven and I were somehow connected, that we shared a special bond, I just didn't have time to think about it. But, if we are sisters, how come Raven and I don't look alike? And why don't I look like you?"

"You take after your father," said Rebecca, "his features run strong in his family."

"Who was he?" asked Clare.

"His name was Nathanial Downing," said Rebecca, "he was a traveler, a wandering outlaw who was never satisfied with his life." She closed her eyes and sat back in thought, "Nathanial, always on the move, never staying in anyplace for more than a few days, leaping from one world to the next, never knowing what he's looking for."

She opened her eyes and looked at Clare, "I'll tell you how we met another time, for now, know that we shared one special night together before I was 'forced' to marry Raven's father. I never saw Nathanial again after that night of passion, but I see him in every aspect of you, from your eyes down to your defiant temperament. The fact that your mind was tampered with by Dr. Claymore only enhanced Nathanial's rebellious and often chaotic aspect."

"I'm definitely chaotic," said Clare, "so, what now? I already made my decision to never go back home, and there's no way Raven, Avery and the others will forgive me, nor do I want them to."

"What is it you do want?" asked Rebecca.

"What I want?" asked Clare, "I want was stolen from me, and I want to make Milton Grimm pay for it." She then looked at Rebecca, "and…and I want to know you, my…my mother, my real mother."

At that Rebecca took Clare's hand again and kissed it, "you will know me, my daughter. Together, we'll make Milton Grimm's suffering legendary, even in Hell. We will bring Ever After under our thumbs and rule the destinies of all stories, and that's just the beginning."

She then smiled and stood up, "I believe we've had enough alone time." She then waved her hand, canceling the privacy spell and unlocking the door, to which Drs. Falchion, Stiletto and Scimitar tumbled through.

"Ah, the good Doctors," said Rebecca in a maliciously cheerful manner as Falchion, Stiletto and Scimitar stood up, their faces lined with worry as they realized their worst fears were coming true, "Clare, say hello to the men and woman who helped bring me to you. Doctors, meet my true firstborn daughter."

"How…how do you do, Clare?" asked Dr. Scimitar nervously as he and the other two stood up.

"I've been better," said Clare, "I'm itching to get out of this bed and back in shape. I owe Avery and the others a boatload of pain. As soon as I get my Zecter back, I'll…"

"I'm afraid that's not an option," said Dr. Falchion, "if our intelligence is correct, Briar Beauty is now Kamen Rider TheBee."

"Briar?" asked Clare, "that narcoleptic, adrenaline-addicted idiot? She's a Rider now?" she then frowned, "great, now I've got to make her suffer even more, after I kill Apple and put Raven in her place of course."

"That's the spirit," said Rebecca. She then looked at the three doctors, "I believe we all have our work cut out for us if we're going to complete Clare's metamorphosis. When we're done with Clare, she'll be more than just a Queen," she looked at Clare, "you'll be queen of so much more."

"Still think our true purpose runs true?" whispered Dr. Stiletto to Dr. Falchion, whom could only look at Rebecca and Clair as mother and daughter, reunited at last, held hands and planned for a dark future.

 _…The End Is Just The Beginning…_


	13. Chapter 12: Life and Unlife

_Before we get started, I wish to sincearly apologize for the massive delay in posting new chapters, for several reasons. My personal live has been so chaotic, pretty much all of 2018 was one crisis after another, I barely had any time to write and what time I did have, I was either trying to work on my Descendants crossover, or suffering the worst bout of writers block in my life. Then there's the fact that there hasn't been a new episode of EAH in forever and I'm not too fond of the new format for Monster High._

 _I'll try to keep going with new chapters as best I can, but no promises as to a regular schedule. Thank you._

 _ **Chapter 12: Life and Unlife in New Goreleans**_

… **The Steam Vault…**

"They've got the thousand-meter stare," said Gil as he sat in front of Skelita and Jinifire. It has been almost three hours since Apple, Frankie and the others returned through the wormhole with their enthralled friends, and the mood in the immaculately cleaned Steam Vault wasn't good.

"They're just sitting there like zombies," said Ashlynn, "no offense, Ghoulia."

At that Ghoulia moaned something along the likes of 'none taken.'

"Man, whatever whammy the baddies put on them," said Hunter, "it's a dozy."

"I'll say it's a dozy," said Dexter, "trying to snap them out of it makes waking Briar up look easy, and when she's in one of her sleep funks, she's out to lunch."

"Speaking of which," said Clawdeen as she saw Briar snoring peacefully on one of the couches, "is she alright?"

"She's sleeping off the decompression sickness," said Apple, "she'll be right as rain soon enough," she then looked at the still catatonic Jinafire and Skelita, "I wish I could say the same for them."

"We've tried talking to them," said Avery, "yelling at them, singing, pinching, slapping, throwing water on them, we even tried different smells and flashing different colored lights at them, but nothing works."

"We haven't tried magic," said Lagoona.

"And we won't, yet," said Raven as she sat with her spell books around her, "not until I figure out what that enthralling gas is and what I need to counter it. It's just taking a while."

"At the rate you're researching," said Clawdeen, "the stuff could wear off on its own."

"Possible," said Raven, "it could wear off, but I need to be sure of what I'm doing before I try anything on our friends. The way my magic acts up, I could end up making things worse."

"How could you make things worse?" Jackson asked.

"I could end up hurting them, or worse," said Raven.

"And what the enemy is doing to or friends isn't worse?" asked Frankie, "what Valentine and Draculaura made Manny and Iris do to each other was just…just…"

"Monstrous?" suggested Chad.

"Exactly," said Frankie.

"What's even more monstrous is what the enemy is probably doing to our friends we left behind," said Lagoona, "I don't even want to think what those bloody blokes are doing to our friends back at Monster High."

"I don't even want to know what that bastard Fabian was going to do to Skelita and Jinafire," said Clair.

It was then that Clawd let out a wrathful growl and flipped over one of the tables, startling everyone in the room and waking Briar up.

"What's going on?!" asked Briar in a groggy tone, "where's the fire?"

"No fire, love," said a highly taken aback Lagoona, "just one irate werewolf."

"Why are we just sitting here?" asked Clawd, "why are we just talking when Valentine is using Draculaura for his sick games?!"

"I think we've established that Draculaura's evil by now," said Raven cautiously.

"She's Not Evil!" barked Clawd, "Valentine's controlling her! She's only acting evil because he's making act evil!"

"Like she was exposed to the gas?" asked Hunter.

"Yeah, yeah, that's it!" said Gil, "that's how Valentine's controlling her! He exposed her to the gas!"

"No, it's not like that," said Lagoona, "he didn't expose her to the gas. Whatever hold Valentine has on Draculaura, it's not the gas."

"Then what?" asked Clawdeen, "what could he have done to make Draculaura, one of the most kind, most cheerful, most warmhearted ghouls in the world, turn evil?"

"I don't know," said Frankie, "but we can't do anything about it right now."

"Why not?" asked Clawd irately as he glared at Frankie, "why can't we go back to Monster High, find Draculaura and save her?"

"Because we don't know, Clawd," said Frankie as she glared back at Clawd, "we don't know what Valentine did to Draculaura, and until we know, trying to rescue her could end up getting a lot of us hurt, captured, killed or worse."

"Then what do you expect me to do?" growled Clawd, "just sit here and wait?!"

"That's exactly what I expect you do to!" said Frankie as her neck bolts sparked angrily. Everyone else in the room held their breath in anticipation, not daring to blink as they expected Frankie and Clawd to fight. But one Monster managed to keep her head.

"Okay, you two," said Clawdia as she walked up to and separated Clawd and Frankie, "time for the adult to calm the children down."

"Stay out of this, Clawdia!" snapped Clawd, "this is between me and our so called leader."

"I'm the leader?" asked Frankie, "whoa, wait, I never said I was the leader."

"You kinda are, Frankie," said Lagoona.

"You've been our leader for quite a while," said Clawdeen.

"Yeah, but at school," said Frankie, "I'm not…I can't…if anyone should be the leader, it's Avery; he's been fighting Obsidian longer than we have."

"I'm just one warrior fighting the darkness," said Avery

"Oh come on," said Raven, "after everything we've been through, you don't think you deserve to lead?"

"Of course he should lead," said Apple.

"Or you should," said Lagoona, "from what I've heard, you're the dame who's held things together on your world."

"All I did was help everyone keep their bodies from falling apart," said Apple, "I'm a healer, not a leader."

"Why do we have to have one leader?" asked Maddie, "three heads are better than two, I always say."

"I think you mean 'two heads are better than one,'" said Frankie.

"Then why not two?" asked Raven, "like the student council at Ever After High?"

"Oh, right," said Apple, "I almost forgot about the debacle of the Student Body Presidential debate."

"Then we'll have two leaders," said Jackson, "like the Roman Republic; two Consuls with equal power."

"I nominate Frankie as one Consul!" said Clawdeen.

"And I nominate Apple as the other," said Raven.

"What…? No!" said both Frankie and Apple.

"You have to admit it, you two," said Raven, "you're exactly what we need."

"Both of you want peace but are prepared to fight for what's right," said Clawdeen, "and out of everyone here, I'd say you're the best ones to keep cool heads when the heat is on."

"As my grandmother once said," said Avery as he pointed at the brightest light in the room, "'if you can't take the heat, drink a glass of water and get back in the kitchen.'"

"What does that have to do with thinking clearly in a stressful situation?" asked Apple.

"Uh…I'm not sure," said Avery, "I just thought it sounded appropriate." He sighed, "well, my grandmother wasn't right on everything."

"And I'm not the right one either," insisted Frankie, "I don't always keep a level head. Heck, my head's held on with thread for crying out loud!"

"So's the rest of you," said Lagoona.

"And I've made so many mistakes," said Frankie.

"But you learn from them," said Clawdeen.

"And I'm only…" said Frankie.

"Don't bring up however many days old you are," said Gil, "you're the one for the job, except it."

"We've accepted it," said Jackson, "in fact, let's all vote on it." He then stood up, "all those in favor of making Frankie and Apple our leaders, raise your hands."

One by one our heroes and allies raised their hands, earning embarrassed looked from Frankie and Apple, but also looks of admiration as they realized just how much their friends trusted and believed in them.

"The ayes have it," said Jackson, "everyone approves!"

"No!" said an irate Clawd as he stood up, "I don't approve! I don't approve of all this sitting and talking when we should be doing stuff, like getting Dracularua back!"

"Oh my ghoul!" said an exasperated Clawdeen, "we've been over this already, Clawd! We're not rescuing Draculaura yet!"

"I refuse to accept that!" shouted Clawd, "but since it seems I'm the only one who feels that way, I'll do it myself!" he then walked up to the workshop door, "open this thing up to Monster High, I'm going to rescue Draculaura alone!"

"No you're not!" shouted Clawdia as she walked up to her brother, "not alone that is!"

"No one else is going to help me, Clawdia," said Clawd, "so why shouldn't I go alone!?"

"Because it's a suicide mission, that's why!" said Dexter.

"Monster High is crawling with Kaijin," said Jackson, "you'll never get close to Draculaura."

"Assuming she's still at Monster High and not hunting our friends," said Clawdeen.

"I just need to see her," said Clawd, "talk to her, reason with her. I know there's still good in her, and if I can reach that good, she'll come back to her old self."

"You still don't get it, man," said Chad, "the Draculaura we all know and love is gone."

"I don't believe that!" shouted Clawd.

"She's the bitch queen of castle hell," said Clair, "if you try facing her, she'll eat you alive. She's been feeding on humans, for crying out loud!" she then showed the healed bite marks on her neck, "she fed on me for the love of God!"

"I don't care about that!" snapped Clawd.

"Well, you'd better start caring," said Clawdia, "we're not gonna let you go off on a suicide mission, Clawd."

"And who's gonna stop me?" asked Clawd, "I'm strong enough to take all of you on."

"Care to back that up, little brother?" growled Clawdia as her eyes flashed menacingly and her talons flexed.

"Damn right I'll back it up!" growled Clawd as his eyes flashed and talons flexed, "I'm sick and tired of you treating me like a child!"

"Then grow up already!" barked Clawdia, "you're not leaving!"

"Yes I am!" baked Clawd.

"No, you're not," said Clawdia coldly as she advanced on Clawd, ready to attack at the slightest provocation. Claw responded by growling menacingly, ready to strike.

Frankie, Raven and the others held their breath in rapt anticipation, not daring to blink as the two Wolf siblings glared and growled at each other.

But then Clawd's aggressive posture relaxed as he backed away with his eyes lowered. He then turned around and sprinted out of the room.

"Clawd, wait!" shouted a now worried Clawdia as she chased after her brother, "I didn't mean…I'm sorry!"

"Uh…that's it?" asked Ashlynn as she and the others let out their held breath, "they're not going to fight?"

"They did," said a depressed-sounding Clawdeen, "Clawd tried to assert his male dominance over Clawdia's Alpha status. He wanted to lead the pack, but Clawdia's will was too strong for his. But I'm afraid Clawdia only made things worse." With that she hurried after her elder siblings.

"Well, at least he's not leaving," said a concerned Ashlynn.

"But his feelings and pride have been damaged," said Lagoona, "and they were on rough seas to begin with."

At that Ghoulia let out an urgent moan as she pointed to her laptop screen.

"We've got bigger things to worry about than Clawd's feelings," said Frankie as she read the screen, "Ghoulia just decoded a message from Rochelle; she's hiding in one of the aboveground cemeteries in New Goreleans."

"There's dozens of aboveground cemeteries in New Goreleans," said Jackson as he and the others clustered around, "did she say which one?"

"Uh…no," said Frankie, "she was running from a Fangire and got lost in the city. She hid in the first place she saw statues; a cemetery."

"It'll take too long to look in each cemetery," said Jackson, "if only I could get my laptop from home; it has its own wireless modem and is much faster than anything you'd find at a store."

"In that case," said Robecca as she programmed the wormhole control device, "ask and you shall receive."

"Okay, new plan, everyone," said Frankie, "Jackson, you go home and grab your computer. We'll then open the wormhole to New Goreleans. We'll then use Jackson's laptop to narrow down the search, find and bring Rochelle here."

"And all before dinner," said Hunter.

"Okay, all set to go, Jackson," said Robeeca as she finished programing the wormhole device. The door swung open, revealing Jackson's house on the other side.

But then something dashed through the room and leapt into the wormhole, something that turned out to be Clawd.

"Stop him!" shouted Clawdeen as she supported a limping Clawdia on one arm, "he's gone crazy!"

"He's also gone through," said Lagoona, "what in the name of the seven seas happened, Clawdeen?!"

"He…he hit me," said a dazed and astonished Clawdia as Clawdeen helped her sit down, one paw holding the side of her head. Apple rushed over and gently made Clawdia lower her paw, revealing a bruised temple and bleeding scalp.

"He blindsided her with a piece of pipe," said Clawdeen irately, "then he threw her at me; my brother, threw my big sister at me!"

"No way," said Gil, "no flipping way! Clawd would never do that!"

"There's no way Clawd would turn on his family," said Frankie.

"I think the evidence speaks for itself," said Apple as she cleaned Clawdia's scalp wound, "oh dear, this is going to need stitches."

"No need," said Venus as she walked up with a jar full of blue sap, "one of my extra credit projects. This'll heal Clawdia's head, but I can't guarantee there won't be a scar."

"I can live with a scar," said Clawdia, "but that's not important right now." She then looked at Clawdeen, "go, find and bring back Clawd before he does something stupid."

"Oh, he's already done something stupid," said Clawdeen, "he's gone renegade, and I'm gonna make him pay for it!"

"Not alone you're not," said Lagoona, "I'm going with you." At that Gil and the others nodded in agreement.

"Me too!" said Frankie, "no, wait, we can't all go."

"Some of us need to find and bring Rochelle to The Steam Vault," said Robecca.

"I'll do it," said Clair.

"And I'll go beat some sense into Clawd," said Chad.

* * *

It was decided that Clawdeen, Chad, Ashlynn and Hunter would chase after Clawd, while Clair, Elissabat, Jackson, Lagoona, Gil, Dexter and Apple would rescue Rochelle. Raven wanted to go but Apple insisted she stay and rest some more.

First went through Jackson, Clawdeen, Chad, Ashlynn and Hunter, with Jackson returning through the wormhole a moment later with his laptop. The door closed as Robecca reset the control device, then opened the wormhole again onto the streets of New Goreleans, through which dashed Clair, Elissabat, Jackson, Lagoona, Gil, Dexter and Apple.

"How much longer is she gonna keep me cooped up here with nothing to do?!" demanded Raven as the door closed, "I'm going stir crazy!"

"You want something to do?" asked Robecca as she pulled out some of her father's journals, "you can help me with these. Somehow we have to find the other six pieces of The Star, and I'll wager all my cogs, sprockets, nuts and bolts that the answer is in his writings."

At that Ghoulia moaned something.

"Yes, I know, you worked very hard to put me back together that time," said Robecca.

"But we've been through your dad's journals," said Frankie, "when we were trying to figure out what The Star of Rosskarn was. There's nothing in your dad's books."

"Maybe so," said Robecca, "but we didn't have Raven's insight then."

"What insight?" asked Raven, "you mean when I figured out how to read the chamber symbols upside down? That wasn't insight, I just got lucky."

"If that's the case, then your luck is just what we need," said Robecca as she handed a stack of her father's journals to Raven, "so start reading, I'll go get more."

"More?" asked Raven.

"My father dedicated his long life to science," said Robecca, "he had a lot to write down."

"Alright," said a reluctant Raven, "I'll take a look," she sat down with the journals and opened the first one, "don't know what it'll accomplish," she muttered, "me stuck here reading while my friends are risking their lives." She then winced as she received a papercut. Sighing with disgruntled despair, she set the book down, but then frowned with concentration as she picked it up.

"Are you alright, Raven?" asked Robecca as she and Ghoulia walked over.

"It couldn't be that easy, could it?" asked Raven. She then looked at Robecca, "your father wouldn't have made it that simple, would he?"

"Made what simple?" asked Robecca.

"The answer," said Raven as she carefully manipulated the page, indicating that the pages of the journal were thick, very thick, even for paper printed in the time of Hexiciah Steam. Raven then split the page, revealing hidden writing within the page itself.

At that Ghoulia moaned with triumphant excitement.

"You're right, Ghoulia," said an equally excited Robecca, "my father was a genius!"

* * *

 **…New Goreleans…**

"I've sent a message to Rochelle that we're in the city," said Jackson, "all we can do now is wait for her to respond and, hopefully, she'll have a clue as to where she is."

"Well, since we've nothing to do now but wait, let's eat!" said Elissabat as she, Lagoona, Gill, Dexter, Apple, Jackson and Clair sat at a large table in one of the many restaurants of the Monster version of The Big Easy. The seven young heroes opened their menus, while Jackson's laptop was plugged into a nearby wall outlet.

"It's said that you shouldn't visit New Goreleans without at least one helping of gumbo," said Elissabat.

"You can eat?" asked Dexter, "actually eat real food?"

"Of course I can eat real food," said Elissabat, "most vampires can draw sustenance from food. What, did you think we were all blood-sucking freaks?"

"But you do need blood, right?" asked Dexter, "I mean…isn't blood…?"

"'Blood is the life,' yes, I know," said Elissabat, "antiquated vampire theology. Most vampires in this modern world subside on animal blood or donated human blood. Then there are those purely 'vegetarian' vampires like Draculaura," she then sighed sadly, "it's a shame; hundreds of years on the wagon and now…and now…" she then began crying.

"Uh…" said a confused and somewhat embarrassed Dexter, while the others looked equally confused, and somewhat sad at their friends' despair.

"Oh, sorry," said Elissabat as she wiped her eyes, "sorry, force of habit. I've been an actress so long, every now and then I tend to overdo it."

"So, you're not sad?" asked Apple.

"I'm sad my oldest and dearest friend has fallen so low," said Elissabat, "but I haven't given up on her. I know there's still good in her, we just need to figure out the right way to find it."

"And not charge blindly after it like Clawd did," said Gil, "seriously, I didn't believe he'd go that far."

"He's in love," said Clair, "it's a many special thing, but sometimes it makes you act really stupid."

"I just hope Clawdeen and the others find him before he really does something stupid," said Jackson.

"I hope that when they do find him," said Lagoona, "that Clawdeen doesn't tear him a new blowhole."

"Please, we're about to eat," said Clair as the waiter came over to take their order.

"So, Clair," said Elissabat afterwards, "since we're partners now, obviously, and we've got some time before we get into another sticky mess, I think we should get to know each other better."

"What's to know about me?" asked Clair, "I'm sorta a goth, but not that much of a goth that I hate the world and want to kill myself. I like wearing black, I'm not into popular fashion, nor do I care that much about making myself up into such a gaudy display that it'd be impossible to ignore me," she then put her hand on Jackson's and smiled at him, earning an embarrassed but loving smile from Jackson, "and I've fallen for and incredibly brave, kind and all around great guy." This earned an even more embarrassed smile from Jackson.

"But enough about me," said Clair, "what about you, Elissabat? You've been an actress for hundreds of years; I'll bet you've got a million stories to tell."

"Do I ever," said Elissabat, "I've been performing for over four-hundred years. I've been on stage, big and little screen and even on the radio for a while. Ask me anything?"

"Okay, what was your favorite role on stage?" asked Clair.

"Wow, that's actually harder than I thought it'd be," said Elissabat in a thoughtful manner, "I've been in so many plays and in so many roles; I've been headliners and extras, same thing when I was on screen and radio. I guess you can say they're all my favorite, for I've found that no matter what role you're playing, treat it as if it were the most important role of your life."

"Well…is there anything you don't like about acting?" asked Clair.

"Filming on location," said Elissabat, "I'm most comfortable when on a stage or in a studio. When you're outside and have to spend hours exposed to the elements, sometimes just to film a scene that's only a few seconds long, it's not very pleasant, especially when the weather isn't in your favor; rain, snow, fog, heatwaves, cold snaps, I won't upset you about the number of times I almost froze solid or melted."

"And then there's all the actors and actresses I've known who are completely opposite personality-wise off camera. You see a celebrity whom you idolize, but once you get to know them, they turn out to be complete jerks."

"It'll have to tell us later," said Jackson in an urgent tone as he looked at his computer, "Rochelle just contacted us. She still doesn't know which cemetery she's hiding, but she's described a unique tomb that I can search for. Just give me a second," he began typing, "almost there…yes! I've got it! Let's go!"

With that Jackson, Clair, Elissabat, Apple, Lagoona and Gil jumped out of their chairs and ran out of the restaurant, leaving a distracted Dexter behind. He realized he was the only one left, just as the waiter came back with their food.

"Oh, man!" said Dexter, he then looked at the waiter, "uh…can we make this to go?"

"You sure this is the right cemetery, Jackson?" asked Gil as he and the other walked through the rows of aboveground tombs.

"It should be," said Jackson as he pointed to one specific mausoleum, "that's the tomb Rochelle described.

The mausoleum in question was carved from Peruvian marble in a mixture of Greek and Roman styles, while the entrance to the tomb was guarded by two statues of weeping angels.

"I don't get it," said Apple after she and the others spent several minutes looking around nearby tombs and mausoleums, "Where's Rochelle?"

"That is the question, Ms. White," said Isidore as she and a gaudily dressed Fangire, emerged from behind one of the tombs, "where is Ms. Rochelle."

"You're one of Irvin's goombas!" said Clair.

"Goomba? Goomba!?" exclaimed an insulted Isidore, "I am a Master Shadow Acolyte! Not to mention an alumni of Cloud Tower, graduating at the top of my class."

"Well, congratulations," said Lagoona, "now what did you do to our friend!"

"Nothing, yet," said Isidore, "haven't found the stony bitch, but when I do," she then pulled out a canister of enthralling gas and corresponding mask, "when I do, I'll make her part of Irvin's collection of experiment subjects."

"You're experimenting on our friends?!" exclaimed an outraged Apple.

"Well, we haven't actually started yet," said Isidore, "but I digress. Since I haven't found the gargoyle yet, I'll have to settle for you lot." She then pulled out her phone and sent a text, "reinforcements are on their way to deal with you pubescent punks!"

"Then we'll just have to finish you before your mates show up," said Lagoona as she cracked her knuckles.

"You'll find I'm not to be trifled with," said Isidore coldly, "and neither is my companion here."

At that the gaudily dressed man morphed into a jaguar-like creature with the usual stained-glass patters associated with Fangire.

"You guys keep Apple safe!" said Clair as she and Elissabat stood forward, while Jackson, Gil and Lagoona forced Apple to back away, "we've got this! Elissabat!"

"Show time!" said Elissabat eagerly. The ruby around her neck flashed, morphing her into her golden bat form, flying around Clair, _"Elissabat Ikuze!"_

Clair then caught Elissabat and let her bite her left hand.

" _Gabut!"_

A rising and falling whistle could be heard as stained-glass patterns spread up Clair's arm and onto her face. Ghostly chains encircled her waist, materializing into the Kiva Belt.

"Henshin!" said Clair as she clicked Elissabat into place on the belt.

Her body was then covered in shimmering liquid metal that solidified, then shattered, revealing herself as Kiva. She then rushed at and began pummeling the Jaguar Fangire, whom then recovered from the moment of shock and began fighting back, delivering massive claw slashes that forced Kiva back.

But then out of nowhere came two more Jaguar Fangire, each with a different stain-glass pattern. The creatures joined their comrade and began pummeling Kiva.

"Hey! That's not fair!" shouted Lagoona.

"Well, excuse me," said Isidore as she put her hands on her hips, "I did say I called for reinforcements, and speaking of which, I do believe my pets here."

It was then that Apple and the others heard the sound of wolves howling, but these weren't the same wolf howls from a werewolf or from the wolves of Ever After.

From the rows of tombs emerged Shadow Dire Wolves, each three times as big as a normal wolf with pitch black fur and glowing eyes, each growling menacingly at our heroes.

But then one Shadow Dire Wolf that was twice as big as the others emerged, carrying an unconscious Rochelle in its mouth.

"ROCHELLE!" shouted Lagoona and Gil.

"Oh, I almost forgot about that one," said Isidore as the big Shadow Dire Wolf trotted over and deposited Rochelle in front of her, "good boy," she patted the Shadow Dire Wolf on the muzzle, earning an enormous tail wag of appreciation.

"You're all gonna bear witness to my triumph," said Isidore smugly as she loaded the enthralling gas canister into the mask, then knelt beside Rochelle, "first, I'm gonna turn her into a mindless slave like the others. Then," she then looked at where the three Jaguar Fangire were pummeling Kiva, "I'm gonna tear this one apart, bit by bit, and finally," she then looked at the rest of our heroes as the Shadow Dire Wolves closed in, "I'm gonna take you all to Irvin."

"You're not going to use the gas on us?" asked Gil nervously as one Shadow Dire Wolf got a little too close for comfort.

"I only have enough for one enslavement," said Isidore, "but don't worry, Draculaura and Valentine have more than enough. Now don't blink or you'll miss it!" she then grabbed Rochelle and, with much effort, lifted her up, "good grief! Why do gargoyles have to be so heavy!?"

But then came a quad-laser blast that missed Isidore by inches, blasting part of a nearby tomb into smithereens and causing Isidore to flinch back, activating the mask and dispersing the gas harmlessly into the air.

"What the…?!" exclaimed Isidore as she recovered and stood up, only to duck another quad-laser blast.

"LOOK!" shouted Lagoona as she pointed to the tallest tomb in the area, atop which stood the masked form of Gatack.

"Dexter!" said Apple joyfully, just as a Shadow Dire Wolf lunged at her, intending on grabbing her in its jaws and shaking her to death.

Gatack aimed and blasted the lunging Shadow Dire Wolf into oblivion, then blasted several more of the nightmarish creatures. He then jumped up, firing more blasts at the three Jaguar Fangire, forcing them away from Kiva. Gatack then helped Kiva steady her feat, "you okay, Clair?"

"Like these jerks could keep me down," said Kiva confidently.

"You bastards!" shouted Isidore, "I'll ruin you all with my anger!" she then began chanting, summoning more Shadow Dire Wolves.

"Looks like we'll have to take things up to the next level," said Gatack.

"Dexter, no!" shouted Apple, "you know what'll happen if…"

"Don't worry about me, Apple," insisted Gatack, "just take care of Rochelle and leave the rest to me." He then flipped the fangs on his Zecter.

Energy crackled across Gatack as the segments on his armor separated.

"Cast off!" shouted Gatack as he pushed the fangs all the way over.

 **CAST OFF**

The armor segments blasted away, revealing the sleaker form of Gatack beneath, while the armor segments hit and destroyed several of the Shadow Dire Wolves.

 **CHANGE: STAG BEETLE**

Gatack then drew his Double Calibur blades from his shoulders and began stabbing and hacking at the remaining Shadow Dire Wolves.

"He'll be fine," said Kiva as she stood in front of Apple and the others as they gathered around the still unconscious Rochelle, then tensed as the three Jaguar Fangire regrouped and closed in.

"But we may not be," said a worried Kiva, "these jerks are a little too close for comfort." She then pulled out the Garuru Fuestle. This caused the three Jaguar Fangire to hesitate and back away a pace or two.

"Wait!" said Elissabat, "Clawdeen's out looking for Clawd. Besides, it'd be rude to summon her from so far away without warning. Besides, you've another ally right here eager to get into the fight."

"You're right," said Kiva as she looked at Lagoona, "I hope you're ready, Lagoona, 'cause things are gonna get wild!"

"I'm ready!" said Lagoona as Kiva put back the blue whistle-like object and pulled out the green one next to it.

"Ready for what?" asked Gil as Kiva placed the green Fuestle in Elissabat's mouth.

"BASSHA MAGNUM!" shouted Elissabat as she blew the whistle, producing several high trumpet notes.

"Now wait a second!" shouted Gil as Lagoona glowed a bright green aura, levitated into the air and, with a flash of light, transformed into a blue, aquatic-themed blaster with fin-like turbines along the barrel.

Ghostly chains emerged from the blaster as Kiva caught it with her right hand. The chains flowed up Kiva's arm, turning the armor blue and giving the shoulder-plate a fin-like appearance. More chains wrapped around her chestplate, turning it blue.

Elissabat's eyes flashed blue as Lagonna's spirit fully merged with Kiva, turning her helmet's eyepieces blue.

The three Jaguar Fangire were momentarily stunned by the change of forms, allowing Kiva to aim and fire a water bullet at the nearest creature, knocking it back several paces as the water bullet hit with the force of a freight-train. Kiva then fired more water bullets at the other two Jaguar Fangire, forcing them back and away from Apple and the others.

"Lagoona!" shouted Gil as Kiva began moving away, forcing the three Fangire to chase her.

"They're fine," said Apple reassuringly as she and Jackson tried to lift Rochelle into a sitting position, yet found it quite difficult due to Rochelle's rock-hard physiology. "They're fine, but I need your help with her!"

"Oh, right!" said Gil. He hurried over and helped Apple and Jackson help Rochelle sit up. "She doesn't look hurt," said Gil.

"No, look there," said Apple as she pointed to Rochelle's forehead just below the hairline, where a long crack a few millimeters wide ran over one eye.

"How are you going to heal that?" asked Gil.

"I…I don't know," said Apple, "if this were a human wound, I'd clean and bandage the wound, and use stitches if needed, but she's a Gargoyle, how do you heal someone made out of living stone? It's not like I can glue on her wound shut, can I?"

"Maybe you can," said Jackson as he pulled out a tube of superglue from his pocket and handed it to Apple, "it's worth a shot."

"Alright, I'll try," said Apple as she took the glue from Jackson. She applied the glue to the crack, just as Rochelle regained consciousness.

"Easy, Rochelle," said Gil as she tried to stand up, "you're hurt."

" _Mon deux_!" said Rochelle, "I feel terrible, what happened?"

"That thing must have grabbed you," said Jackson as he pointed at the big Shadow Direwolf, whom was trying to grab Gatack with its rows of razor-sharp teeth, yet Gatack remained just out of reach, while also fighting more and more of the smaller Shadow Dire Wolves.

"I do not remember being grabbed by that abomination," said Rochelle. She then saw Isidore, whom was still summoning more Shadow Dire Wolves, "but I do remember that one approaching me as I hid in these hallowed grounds! She dared to use dark magic on sacred soil, blindsiding forcing me to hit my head on a tomb! How dare she desecrate this place of peace and rest for the dearly departed!"

Rochelle stood up, a look of righteous fury on her face as she shrugged off the restraining hands of Jackson and Gil. She spread her wings and flew towards Isiodore, delivering a stone-hard punch to Isidore, shattering the jaw of the sorceress, knocking out four of her permanent teeth and sending her crashing to the ground.

"That is for bringing conflict to sacred ground!" shouted Rochelle, "for disturbing the eternal rest of the dead!"

Her mouth dribbling blood and fragments of teeth, Isidore glared wrathfully at Rochelle, but then realized that with her concentration broken, her summoned Shadow Dire Wolves had vanished, allowing Gatack to rush to and fight one of the Jaguar Fangire. With part of her focus freed, Kiva concentrated her attacks on the other two.

Acknowledging the fight was lost, Isidore glared hatefully one last time at Rochelle, before teleporting out.

"Time to finish this!" said Kiva after delivering a furious barrage of water bullets to one Jaguar Fangire, forcing it away and behind a group of tombs.

"I'm with you, partner!" said Elissabat. Kiva brought the blaster to Elissabat, whom bit the hammer of the weapon.

 _"BASSHA BITE!"_

The fin-turbines on the blaster rapidly spun as water flowed around and formed a furious vortex around Kiva. She aimed and fired a massive blast of pressurized water at one of the Jaguar Fangire, hitting it with the force of a guided missile and knocking it into a tomb, leaving a Fangire-shaped dent in the stonework.

The creature then recovered and stood up straight, seemingly unharmed. But then a piece of the tomb broke off and hit the Fangire on the head. Cracks rapidly spread across the creature and it shattered into bits of stained glass, while its Fangire essence rose up and vanished into thin air.

With a growl of fury, the other Jaguar Fangire rushed at Kiva, just as Gatack stood in front of Kiva, bringing the blades of his Double Calibur together.

"Rider Cutting!" said Gatack as he formed a pair of sheers out of his blades.

 **RIDER CUTTING**

Gatack then reach out and grabbed the onrushing Fangire with his blades, lifting up as tachyon energy flowed over his body. The energy concentrated into the blades as Gatack closed the sheers, delivering a massive blow that shattered the creature, releasing its essence into the air.

"And that's that," said Dexter after he and Clair powered down. But then Dexter winced in pain and rubbed his arms.

"Dexter!" said Apple as she rushed over.

"I'm…I'm fine," said Dexter in a clearly uncomfortable tone, "I didn't Clock Up, so I should be fine, I just need a minute to…"

"You need to sit down before you fall and hit your head," said Jackson.

"Believe me," said Rochelle, "you do not want to hit your head on someone's tomb."

"Are you sure you're alright, Rochelle?" asked Lagoona as Apple and Jackson helped Dexter sit down.

" _Oui_ ," insisted Rochelle, "though my body be damaged, my resolve to stand against the darkness remains as strong as ever."

"Alright, I'll sit," said Dexter as he leaned against and slid down the side of a tomb, "just…just don't tell Raven, she's got enough to worry about."

"Our lips are sealed," said Apple, while the others nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm glad you're alright," said Gil as he and Lagoona embraced, "but, seriously, are sure you're okay with merging with someone else like that?"

"Oh, Gil, I wish you could have been there with me," said an awed Lagoona, "becoming one in spirit with another, merging two powers, I don't even have the words to describe it."

"Neither do I," said Elissabat, "and I've been around long enough to memorize several editions of dictionaries."

"Hey, I'm still new at this," said Clair.

"Well, as long as you're alright," said Gil. He then frowned with worry, "wasn't there another Fangire here?"

Just then the third Jaguar Fangire, the one Kiva blasted out of sight, ran out from behind a tomb towards Clair, it's glass fangs out and ready to impale and drain Clair of her life-force.

"NOOOOOO!" shouted Jackson as he ran in front of Clair, his arms alight with fire as he aimed his hands at the oncoming Fangire. Two streams of fire shot at and hit the creature, stopping it in its tracks.

"LEAVE US ALONE, YOU CREEPS!" yelled Jackson as the fire from his hands burned with increasing intensity, causing the stonework of nearby tombs to melt.

With a final scream of fury, the Jaguar Fangire shattered, releasing its pulsating essence into the air.

"Creep," said Jackson, before gasping in exhaustion and falling over, only to be caught by Clair.

"Man, we really need to figure out how you're doing that," said Gil.

"You're preaching to the choir, my friend," said Jackson, "and the worst part is we all skipped out on lunch."

"Oh, right, we did run out of the restaurant," said Elissabat as a chorus of growling stomachs sounded through the cemetery.

"Not to worry," said Dexter, "I had everyone's orders to go."

"Dexter, if Jackson and I weren't together, I'd kiss you," said Clair.

"But how'd you pay for lunch?" asked Apple, "it's not like this world will take our currency?"

"Don't worry," said Dexter, "I borrowed Lagoona's prepaid debit card."

"Oh, okay," said Clair.

"And how'd you get my card?" asked Lagoona as she placed her hands on her hips.

"You left your purse in the restaurant," said Dexter, "yours too, Elissabat."

"Oh," said a deflated Lagoona, while Elissabat looked equally sheepish. "Okay, then, so, where's my purse?"

"With everyone's lunch," said Dexter, "I put it all down so I could transform when I saw you were all in trouble."

"Okay then," said a now impatient Lagoona, "so where's all our stuff then?"

"Uh…" said Dexter as he stood up and looked around, "I think…I was sure…" he then scratched his head in confusion and worry as he realized he forgot where he had dropped the items, "oh man!"

* * *

… _Monster High…_

' **And-that-is-what-happened-Mr-Weis'**

"I see," said Irvin as he sat at Bloodgood's desk, while a wheelchair-bound Isidore sat across from him, her jaw wired shut and a tablet with a voice synthesizer app in her lap.

"I must say," remarked Irvin as he stood up and stretched his arms, "you tell quite a tale."

' **It's-all-true-Mr.-Weis'** said the voice synthesizer, while Isidore's look of fury and outrage as she typed on the tablet spoke volumes, **'I-would-have-had-Apple-White-and-the-others-if-that-damned-Gargoyle-bitch-haddn't-broke-my-jaw.'**

"Yes, I'm sorry about your jaw," said Irvin, "you had such a lovely smile. It's a shame the doctors have to wire it shut while you heal, but it has to be done."

' **But-if-I-can't-speak-I-can't-summon-Shadow-Beasts,'** said Isodore.

"Again, a shame," said Irvin, "we're already shorthanded due to Fabian's departure, and with you convalescing for your jaw, our efforts will be doubly hindered."

' **Are-you-going-to-punish-me-too?'** asked Isidore, her eyes betraying her fear of reprisal.

"Not as drastically as Fabian," said Irvin, "you did everything asked of you while out in the field; you tracked down a valuable fugitive Monster and called for reinforcements, as you right you should have. Once again, a shame. To have Rochelle Goyle under our control, or better yet, to have her willingly join us, would have opened the door to other Gargoyles joining Obsidian."

' **Just-wait-until-I-can-speak-again,'** said Isidore, **'I'll-break-her-jaw-and-ask-her-how-she-likes-it.'**

"I'm sure you would," said Irvin, "but in the meantime, you've to atone for your failure; you neglected to keep an eye on your prize, thereby allowing the enemy to rescue Rochelle and allowing her the opportunity to deprive you of your lovely smile. As soon as the doctors are done with your jaw, you are to go to one of the classrooms and fill the chalkboards with the phrase 'I Will Not Underestimate My Enemies, No Matter How Weak They Seem.' And when you've filled the chalkboards, you're to go to another classroom and fill those chalkboards."

' **And-how-many-times-do-I-have-to-do-that?'**

"Until you the lesson takes hold," said Irvin as he sat down again, signaling that the meeting was over.

' **Yes-Mr.-Weis,'** said Isidore, then snapped her fingers at the enthralled Monster behind her wheelchair, whom then wheeled her out of the office.

"Now there's a subordinate who knows her place," said Valentine as he and Draculaura emerged from the shadows of the office.

"She's loyal," admitted Irvin, not at all surprised by the two dark lover's sudden entrance, "but she's angry. Those teenagers humiliated her and she wants revenge, and a vengeful subordinate is a reckless subordinate. I'm going to have to keep an eye on her, least she makes a fatal mistake that'll lead to further humiliation."

Just then Neffra strutted into the office, a look of smug satisfaction on her face. "Oh good, you're all here," said the vile Egyptian princess.

"Don't you know how to knock?" asked Valentine.

"Royalty never knocks," said Neffra, "if this were the old country, I'd have you beaten to an inch of your undead life, Valentine."

"Do that and I'll suck you dry," hissed Draculaura, "now either say what you've got to say or get out!"

"This is my office now, Draculaura," said Irvin, "I'll say who can stay or go," he then glared at Neffra, "now, either say what you've got to say or get out!"

"Such impertinence," said an annoyed Neffra, "regardless, I do have good news. I've made contact with my nerd of a former boyfriend and he's agreed to help."

"He has the Plasmid research?" asked an eager Irvin as he stood up.

"He's already emailed his data and will be here to continue the research," said Neffra, "he has a few loose ends to tie up first but will arrive at Monster High soon enough."

"Well, that's definitely good news," said Valentine, "but why wait for the man? Why not begin making our own super Monsters?"

"Don't be a fool, Valentine!" snapped Irvin, "we're talking about altering the very DNA of an already powerful creature. It's like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get. Unless, that is, you're also an expert of genetic manipulation as well as a fop of a playboy."

"My Valentine is a genius!" said Draculaura, "if he wants to mess with Monster DNA, I say let him!"

"And I say wait for the expert!" snapped Irvin.

"But I'm bored!" moaned Draculaura, "there's nothing to do here!"

"Go torture some of your former classmates," suggested Neffra.

"I've been torturing," said Draculaura, "but they're all mindless slaves. It's really not satisfying when your victims can't scream, let alone cry."

"Go shopping, then," said Neffra, "spending money always alleviates boredom, at least I say so."

"There's nothing I want to buy right now," said Dracualura morosely as she sat down in a depressed heap.

"Oh, poor darling," said Valentine as he walked over to and massaged Dracualura's shoulders, earning a purr of enjoyment from her, "we'll find something to occupy your time."

Just then a gray-clad Orphnoch ran into the office and whispered something into Irvin's ear.

"Doesn't anyone around here knock?" asked Valentine.

"We can forgive this example of rudeness," said an eager Irvin, "apparently some of your former classmates are snooping around outside, Draculaura."

"Clawd?" asked Draculaura as she stood up, her expression betraying her eagerness for pain and destruction, "is Clawd among them?"

"No, but his sister Clawdeen is," said Irvin.

"Oh, well, that's just as good," said Draculaura, "by hurting Clawdeen, I'll hurt Clawd. But how shall I do it?"

"Might I suggest something, dearest?" asked Valentine. He then whispered something into Draculaura's ear, something that earned a shocked expression from her.

"Oh no," said a horrified Draculaura, "no, not that, that's too cruel, far too cruel!" she then smiled with delighted wickedness, "it's perfect!" she then flung her arms around Valentine's neck, pulled him down and kissed him with dark passion.

"Now what could be tickling her fancy?" asked Neffra.

"I don't know," said Irvin, "I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of Draculaura's former friends, and you can take that to the bank and cash it."

* * *

 **…Outside Monster High…**

"What do you mean you lost Clawd's scent?" asked Hunter as he, Ashlynn, Chad and Clawdeen, stood together surrounded by fog. By their recollection, they were a few hundred yards from the school property line, yet the heavy fog around them made it all but impossible to see anything.

"It's exactly what I mean," said Clawdeen irately, "I had his scent, right up to where we ran into this fog. His trail was fresh, very fresh, only a few minutes old. But…this fog…" she sniffed the air and frowned, "it's not natural. I should still be able to sense Clawd, but…"

"I know, this fog is eerie," said a slightly nervous Ashlynn, whom had donned a windbreaker and shivered slightly against the clammy moisture.

"You can bet Irvin and his goons have something to do with this," said Chad, "the fog goes all over Monster High's property and beyond, but doesn't move with the wind."

"This is dark magic, alright," said Hunter as he looked around yet couldn't see more than a few yards, "it's a trap and we've walked right into it. All the enemy has to do is find us."

"They're as blinded by the mist as we are," said Clawdeen.

"Unless they have infrared-vision goggles or something like that," said Chad, "all they need to find us is track our body heat."

"That's for putting that in my mind," said Hunter irately, "let's just get out of here before they find us, if we can find out way out of here."

"We can't leave! Clawd's still out there!" said Clawdeen.

"I know, but he's as lost as we are," said Hunter, "I hate to admit it, but there's nothing we can do for him right now."

"I can't believe you said that, Hunter!" snapped Ashlynn, "we can't leave a friend behind!"

"Clawd wouldn't abandon us," said Chad, "then again, he's really not thinking straight right now."

"You jerks can do whatever you want!" snapped Clawdeen, "but I'm not leaving without my brother and that's that!" suddenly her ears perked up, "wait! I think I hear something!"

"I'm amazed you can hear anything in this mess," said Hunter as he waved his hand through the mist, "it's so think, you could cut it with a knife."

"Shut up!" hissed Clawdeen as she listened intensely, "footsteps, I hear footsteps!" she then cupped her hands to her mouth, "CLAWD!"

"Don't do that! It could be a Kaijin or a Shadow Acolyte!" snapped Chad.

But it wasn't a Kaijin or Shadow Acolyte that appeared from the fog in front of our heroes. It was a young male werewolf, and it wasn't Clawd.

"Romulus!" said Clawdeen as she recognized her friend.

"Clawdeen!" said the pack leader from Full Moon High ran up to and embraced Clawdeen, "I can't believe it, you're alright!"

"I can't believe you were alright," said Clawdeen, "you and the rest of the pack, why didn't you try and call me? And how did you get away from Obsidian?"

"It's a long story, Clawdeen," said Romulus, "and I'll tell you once you're safe. Come on, we've gotta go."

"Oaky," said Clawdeen, "oh, you guys never meet," she then pointed at her friends from Ever After, "that's Ashlynn and Hunter, you already know Chad."

"Right," said Romulus as he nodded at Chad, then nodded at Ashlynn and Hunter, "you all can come, but we've got to move, now."

"Wait, we can't go yet!" said Clawdeen, "Clawd's here somewhere! We've got to find him."

"I know, we'll find him," said Romulus, "but first I need to get you safe."

"Okay, let's go," said Clawdeen, "wait…wait…how'd you know we're looking for Clawd?"

"Uh…you told me," said Romulus.

"Yeah, just now," said Clawdeen as she looked at Romulus with suspicious eyes, "but the way you just said 'I know,' it's like you already knew what we were doing here. How did you know Clawd was alone and we were looking for him?"

"Uh…" said a nervously sweating Romulus, "uh…it doesn't matter. All I want is to keep you safe, Clawdeen."

"And us, right?" asked Hunter suspiciously, while Ashlynn and Chad also looked equally inquisitive at Romulus.

"Whatever," said Romulus, "we've got to go and go now!"

"What's the rush, Romulus?" asked Clawdeen, "unless you know something we don't."

"How did you get away from Obsidian?" asked Chad, "and how are you so sure it's safe where you want to take Clawdeen?"

"It is safe!" insisted Romulus, "it's safe for the whole pack, but we've got to go now!"

"How do you know?!" demanded Clawdeen, "I'm not going anywhere unless you start talking!"

At that Romulus growled irately, to which Clawdeen growled back. But then Romulus relaxed, a serious look on his face, "you want to know? I made an arrangement with Obsidian."

"What kind of arrangement?" asked Clawdeen calmly, yet her hands twitched, hinting at the rage boiling within.

"My pack stays free," said Romulus, "no enthralling gas, no enslavement. In return, we help round up the other fugitive students and run occasional errands."

"You're actually helping Obsidian?!" exclaimed Chad, "are you crazy?! Or just plain stupid!?"

"I'm an Alpha looking after his pack!" snapped Romulus, "I did what was best and got a pretty good deal out of it."

"By selling your souls to the darkness?" asked an appalled Ashlynn.

"By protecting my own!" said Romulus, "a leader has to look after his pack," he then looked at Clawdeen, "you should know that more than these Normies."

"They're my friends, you bastard!" shouted Clawdeen as she slashed her talons at Romulus, whom jumped back in time to avoid having his face torn off.

"You piece of dragon dung!" snapped Hunter, "you sold yourself and yours to Obsidian, you son of a motherless chimera!"

"You're a disgrace to werewolves and Monsters alike!" said Chad.

"Not all werewolves," said Romulus, "my pack isn't the only one to side with Obsidian."

Just then Clawdeen, Chad, Hunter and Ashlynn heard menacing growls around them in the fog. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by Romulus's fellow werewolves from Full Moon High, as well as several more. And they weren't the only ones surrounding our heroes. Over a dozen vampires wearing the colors of Belfry Prep were there too.

"Who would have thought that it took an invasion to fully bring vamps and werewolves together," said Romulus as Clawdeen, Chad, Hunter and Ashlynn clustered together, "we're building something great, Clawdeen, we're carving out a place for ourselves in Obsidian's new order, and you can be a part of that too."

"What are you saying?" asked Clawdeen, "you…you actually want me to join you? Never!"

"Don't be a fool, Clawdeen!" said Romulus, "you can't beat Obsidian, no matter how many of your friends you've got with you. Obsidian's too powerful; you can either join them or be crushed by them!"

"Listen to him, Clawdeen," said Bram Devlin as he stepped forward from the ranks of vampires, "Obsidian is the future. Better to be swept along with it than left behind."

" _Et tu_ , Bram?" asked Chad irately, "where's Gory?" He then stood on his toes to look over the heads of the vampires, "yeah, I see you, you little traitor!"

"I see no treason in my actions," said Gory Fangtail, "in fact, I should be lauded as a hero; I was the one who convinced my fellow vamps to join Obsidian, rather be rendered slaves."

"Do you know what they're doing to our friends at the school?" Romulus asked Clawdeen, "they're fortifying the school, turning it into an impregnable fortress. This fog is just the first line of defense, you don't want to know what they're putting in on the outside, let alone the inside. But I will say that all the zombies are in chain gangs, while the stronger monsters were regulated to heavy lifting."

"And don't get us started on the experiments," said Gory.

"What experiments?!" demanded Ashlynn, "are they…are they…"

"They haven't started with the experiments," said Bram, "but word is that Irvin wants to make stronger, more deadly Monsters, but again, they haven't started yet, or so I'm told."

"But Draculaura has more than started torturing her former classmates," said Gory, "believe me, you don't want to know what she's capable."

"You can hear the screams from the dungeons," said Romulus, "what she's done to some of our friends; enthralled Monsters and captured fugitives, it's enough to make you sick."

" _You_ make me sick!" snapped Clawdeen. She then glared at the encircling vampires and werewolves, "all of you make me sick! But you especially, Romulus! How dare you do this, to us, to all Monster kind?"

"I did it for the good of the pack!" said Romulus defiantly, "for all werewolves, for all Monsters, and for you, Clawdeen." He then held out his hand, "come with me to the future, Clawdeen. The pack is that much stronger when the Alpha male has an Alpha female by his side."

"I…what?!" exclaimed Clawdeen as she did a double take at Romulus, "what?! WHAT!?"

"I've admired you for so long, Clawdeen," said Romulus, "your courage, your beauty, your pride, you're everything an Alpha Male seeks in an Alpha Female. Come with me and we'll lead our pack to a future so bright, so beautiful, it'd be the envy of all werewolves."

"You're saying you like me?!" snapped an outraged Clawdeen, "and you want me to be your mate?! You're saying this _**NOW!?"**_

"Dude, seriously bad timing," said Hunter, to which Ashlynn and Chad nodded in agreement.

"I told you she'd refuse," said Gory to Bram, holding out her hand, "pay up!"

"Here," said an annoyed Bram as he handed Gory a hundred-dollar bill, "but I'm going to win that back."

By now Clawdeen looked ready to chew solid iron and spit out nails into Romulus's eyes, "I would rather be stripped, shaved bald and beaten to a pulp than mate with you, traitor!"

At that Romulus sighed with disappointment, "I'm sorry to hear that, Clawdeen, I really am. I'd hope to spare you from Obsidian's wrath, and maybe convince Irvin to go easy on some of the others, especially Clawd, but I guess that's not going to happen."

"You and the others are wanted fugitives, Clawdeen," said Gory smugly, "you and the rest of your family. Oh, Irvin, Valentine and Draculaura have plans for you, especially for Clawd. Draculaura's gonna tear that mutt to pieces, stitch him back together and tear him apart all over again for her pleasure."

"But mostly they want the Star pieces you have," said Bram, "handing them over will go a long way towards leniency with Obsidian."

"And tell us where Frankie Stein, Raven Queen, Apple White and the other fugitives are hiding," said Gory, "there's more, but you get the point."

"Go frak yourself," said Chad in a matter of fact tone as he opened the metal case with the Faiz Gear.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Romulus, "GET THEM!"

At that the werewolves growled and the vampires hissed as they readied their talons and teeth.

But then came an especially loud wolf howl, followed by the surprised and pained yelps and cries from vampires and werewolves as they were tossed into the air.

"CLAWDEEN!" shouted Clawd as he rammed his way through the ranks of enemy Monsters, "wait, hold on," he then ran over to, kneed Bram in the crotch, ran over to and tossed Gory into the air, then ran over to and delivering a bone-shattering tackle that sent Romulus crashing into more vampires and werewolves, before running back to Clawdeen, "are you alright?! Did they hurt you? Did they touch you?!"

"I'm fine, Clawd," said Clawdeen, "but you're not. Boy, are you in trouble when we get back to The Steam Vault, Clawdia's gonna skin you alive!"

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that," said Clawd sheepishly, "I guess I kinda lost my head back there."

"We're just glad you're okay, man," said Hunter, "now let's get out of here," he then glared at the enemy werewolves and vampires, "it stinks of treason!"

But then the enemy Monsters parted ranks, revealing Draculaura, whom stood looking at Clawd with a welcoming smile on her face and her right hand behind her back, "oh, Clawd, you've come all this way, just to leave without even saying hello?"

"DRACULAURA!" exclaimed Clawd. He then ran towards her.

"Clawd! No!" shouted Clawdeen as she, Hunter, Ashlynn and Chad tried to go after him, only to find themselves blocked by the recovering enemy vampires and werewolves.

"Draculaura," said Clawd as he stopped in front of her, "I…I…"

"It's okay, Clawd," said Draculaura warmly, "everything's going to be alright."

"But…but," said Clawd, only to be shushed by Draculaura as she held out her left hand.

"We're together again, that's all that matters," said Draculaura as she beckoned Clawd to come close.

"No! Don't!" shouted Clawdeen as she and the others struggled to get past the enemy Monsters.

"What's in her hand?!" asked Hunter, "what's she got behind her back!"

"Get away from her, Clawd!" shouted Ashlynn as Clawd allowed Draculaura to put her left arm around his neck, bending down to kiss her.

Quick as lightning, something silver flashed from behind Draculaura's back. Before anyone knew it, she had stabbed Clawd in the abdomen with a silver knife.

"I'd hoped to use this on Clawdeen," said Draculaura in a wickedly satisfied tone as she saw the look of agonized betrayal in Clawd's eyes, "but you'll do, mutt." She then twisted the knife as she pulled it out of Clawd, earning a pained yelp from him as he collapsed to the ground, "now, die like the dog you are."

 _…The End Is Just the Beginning…_


End file.
